ICG rescues 19 fishermen, 2100 fishing boats amidst Cyclone Kyarr

As the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) geared up to face Cyclone Kyarr which remains merely 200 km away from west of the Ratnagiri region of Maharashtra, the ICG in a press release said that it had rescued around 19 stranded fishermen so far and escorted more than 2100 fishing boats to safety at various ports in the West Coast. The Coast Guard has already positioned 4 of its Dornier aircraft at the Coast Guard Air and deployed10 ships and 2 Chetak helicopters which to carry out necessary Search and Rescue Operations (SAR). 

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ICG gears up for Cyclone Kyarr

In a press release by the Indian Coastal Guard, it stated that the ICG has been issuing weather warnings since October 18 to all stakeholders and fishermen requesting them to refrain from proceeding to sea and recall the one already at sea. It also stated that ICG Ships, aircraft, MRCCs and ROS broadcasted messages to all seafarers in vernacular languages also to apprise them of the cyclonic weather and advised them to return harbour whereas Fisheries authorities, Coastal Security Group, Marine Police and other stakeholders had been in close coordination with the Coast Guard to help the stranded fishing boats return to safety. 

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While accounting for the measures taken by the ICG, the release stated that ten ICG ships have been deployed for locating the fishing boats and rendering assistance to stranded fisherman in affected areas along the impact areas of cyclones. Four ICG Dornier has been tasked for area scan and to locate stranded fishing boats andTwo ICG Helo sorties have been augmented for area scan and to locate stranded fishing boats.

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So far, the efforts of ICG units have resulted in escorting more than 2100 boats of various states. Out of the 2100 escorted, 500 boats of Gujarat have taken shelter at Rajapuri, Maharashtra. 197 boats of Maharashtra have been sheltered at Ratnagiri. 700 boats of other states have been sheltered at Goa, Karwar, Udupi and New Mangalore. 80 boats of Kerala have taken shelter at Maharashtra while the Coast Guard maintains close coordination with fisheries authorities and other stakeholders for search and rescue of missing or stranded fishing boats. 

Adverse weather conditions

Very strong winds are likely to prevail around the coastal districts of north Maharashtra and the northeast Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast in the next few hours. Moreover, the IMD has predicted rain in the coastal districts of Karnataka, Goa, north and the south Konkan region. Due to the rough conditions, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea off the coasts of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and south Gujarat coast. The Goa government has issued a red alert and have kept disaster management teams on standby.  

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