One of the vessels that was stranded near Bombay High during the effects of Cyclone Tauktae and had 273 people on board has sunk. The Indian Navy has rescued 177 people as of Tuesday morning, while the search for the others continues.
On Tuesday, a day after the strong cyclonic storm made landfall in Gujarat and wreaked havoc in Mumbai, rescue and search operations were stepped up.
The state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) said on Monday that the cyclonic storm Tauktae caused the barge P305, which was carrying 273 people for offshore exploration, to de-anchor and drift.
A barge is a long flat-bottomed boat, while an accommodation barge has a shallow draught (its keel is not well below the waterline) and is used to transport staff to ventures where shore accommodation is not available.
“An Indian Naval P8I surveillance aircraft has joined the continuing rescue operations this morning. Depending on environmental conditions, Indian Navy helicopters will also be used for SAR,” the Indian Navy said.
SAR operations will continue during the day, with additional naval forces on standby to assist with the continuing search. The Indian Navy said in a statement that Barge 305, which was trapped in the cyclone at Bombay High, sank and that 177 of the 273 people on board have been rescued so far.
Another barge, the ‘Gal Constructor,’ ran aground about 48 nautical miles north of Colaba Point, with 137 people on board. The ‘Water Lily’ emergency towing vessel, two service boats, and the CGS Samrat are all in the area to help with the crew evacuation.
The INS Talwar was also dispatched to support another oil rig, the Sagar Bhushan, which has 101 crew members on board, as well as an accommodation barge, the SS-3, which has 196 crew members on board and is adrift about 50 nautical miles south of Pipavav Port.
Since the cyclone, recovery and rescue teams have been organised to deal with the immediate need for infrastructure maintenance.
Various ships along the Western seaboard are on standby with aid and relief supplies to provide emergency assistance to affected areas as required, as well as to support fishing boats and small boats stranded due to the storm.
The Navy’s Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft are constantly broadcasting cyclone warnings to fishermen while on patrol.
