Twelve crew members of the merchant ship MSV Al Piranpir were safely rescued by the Indian Coast Guard when it sank in the Arabian Sea while sailing from Porbandar, India, to Bandar Abbas, Iran. The incident happened on December 4, 2024, when the vessel sank outside Indian waters but within Pakistan’s search and rescue area as a result of floods caused by choppy seas.
The Indian Coast Guard and Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) collaborated on the rescue mission, which was a noteworthy example of international collaboration. The Indian Coast Guard’s Mumbai-based maritime rescue coordination center got the distress call and acted promptly. About 270 kilometers west of Dwarka, the coast guard ship Sarthak was sent to the scene, and the PMSA was notified to help with the search.
The crew members were found fleeing their sinking ship and seeking safety in a small dinghy. A medical crew aboard the Sarthak evaluated them after they were rescued in good health. Plans were put in place to return them to Porbandar harbor after their rescue.
