Over 6.98 lakh Olive Ridley turtles protected under 'Operation Olivia' along Odisha coastline: Govt
Officials said that once the inception of 'Operation Olivia', the ICG has carried out over 5,387 surface patrol sorties and 1,768 aerial surveillance missions, significantly reducing threats such as illegal fishing and habitat disruption.
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India Gazette
a day ago
- India Gazette
ICG, Navy and IAF execute high-risk operation to stabilise fire-hit Singaporean vessel off Kochi
ANI 14 Jun 2025, 23:51 GMT+10 Kochi (Kerala) [India], June 14 (ANI): In a major development in the firefighting and salvage operation of Singaporean Vessel MV Wan Hai 503, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), along with the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, successfully transferred the tow of the distressed container vessel to the ocean-going tug Offshore Warrior on June 13. As per an official release, the ICG had been holding the vessel away from the Kerala coast for several days, but sudden deterioration in weather conditions and strong westerly winds caused it to dangerously drift toward the shoreline. Despite adverse weather that restricted aerial operations and delayed salvage crew boarding, a Navy Sea King helicopter launched from Kochi on June 13 successfully winched salvage team members onto the vessel under extremely challenging conditions. The team then managed to connect a 600-metre tow rope to Offshore Warrior approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi. The vessel is now being towed westward at a speed of 1.8 knots and is nearly 35 nautical miles offshore, the release stated. Three ICG Offshore Patrol Vessels are continuing to escort the container ship and sustain firefighting operations. At present, only thick smoke and a few isolated hotspots remain onboard, a testament to the ICG's effective firefighting efforts that have helped avert a major environmental disaster. The ICG is closely coordinating with the Directorate General of Shipping to ensure the vessel remains at least 50 nautical miles from the Indian coastline until its fate is determined by the owners, in accordance with international norms. The situation is expected to further stabilise with the anticipated arrival of additional firefighting tugs. (ANI)
India Gazette
a day ago
- India Gazette
Indian Navy carries out successful aerial insertion of salvage team on distressed vessel MV Wan Hai 503
Kochi (Kerala) [India], June 14 (ANI): The Indian Navy undertook a successful aerial insertion in a daring operation of the salvage team which was onboard distressed vessel MV Wan Hai 503 and has been under fire since June 9, according to the Indian Navy. The salvage team, which embarked on the seeking helicopter at the INS Garuda base in Kochi, was winched down the vessel on June 13 amidst challenging weather conditions and onboard fire. 'In a daring operation, #IndianNavy successfully undertook aerial insertion of the salvage team onboard distressed vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which has been on fire since June 9, 2025. The salvage team, which embarked the Seaking helicopter at INS Garuda, Kochi, was winched down the vessel on June 13, 2025, amidst challenging weather & sea conditions, and fire onboard. The salvage team connected the tow with the Salvage Tug Offshore Warrior, after which, the salvage team was successfully extracted by Naval helicopter. Towing operations of the vessel has commenced', Indian Navy said in an 'X' post. The INS Sharda and MV Triton Liberty are actively engaged with the Indian Coast Guard and other maritime agencies to argument special operations. 'INS Sharda and OSV MV Triton Liberty are actively engaged with India Coast Guard & other maritime agencies to augument the salvage ops. This swift insertion & extraction of salvage team by the #IndianNavy has significantly augumented the ongoing salvage efforts', Indian Navy's 'X' post further mentioned. In a breakthrough, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully enabled the towing of the fire-stricken Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, marking a major milestone in ongoing efforts to control the blaze and protect the marine environment. The Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 has been ablaze in the Arabian Sea, approximately 42 nautical miles off the coast of Beypore, Kerala. In a post on X, the Indian Coast Guard said, 'Major milestone in the ongoing operation to suppress the fire onboard MV Wah Hai 503 and protect the marine environment! India Coast Guard ships undertaking firefighting operations enabled the tow connection of the Salvage vessel in an extremely challenging and daunting operation.' 'HQSNC tasked the Indian Navy helicopter to winch down salvors who shifted the tow from ICG ships to Salvage Tugs. The tow has now commenced, and the vessel is being pulled to keep away from our coast! ICG fire fighting operation continues,' the post added. The vessel was carrying 1.2 lakh metric tonnes of fuel and hundreds of containers, including hazardous cargo, posing a serious risk to the marine environment and regional shipping routes. (ANI)
India Gazette
a day ago
- India Gazette
ICG transfers tow of MV Wan Hai 503 to ocean-going tug Offshore Warrior; Averts drift towards Kerala Coast
Kochi ( Kerala) [India], June 14 (ANI): In a significant development in the salvage operations of MV Wan Hai 503, the vessel's tow was successfully transferred from Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships to the ocean-going tug Offshore Warrior on 13 June 2025. This shift was essential to progress the operation, as ICG vessels have limited bollard pull - a term denoting the towing capacity of a ship, said ICG. For the past few days, ICG ships had been maintaining the vessel's position away from the coast. However, sudden deterioration in weather conditions, accompanied by strong westerly winds, caused the vessel to drift rapidly towards the shoreline. The adverse weather restricted aerial operations and delayed the embarkation of the salvage team members onto the vessel, said ICG. Despite these challenges, around 1700 hours on 13 June, a Navy Sea King helicopter successfully launched from Kochi with the salvage team and winched them onboard the distressed vessel under extremely difficult conditions. Subsequently, a 600-metre tow rope was connected to the ocean-going tug approximately 20 nautical miles off Kochi. This crucial joint operation involving the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force enabled the salvors to take over the vessel from the ICG and continue the firefighting and salvage work. The vessel is currently being towed westward at a speed of approximately 1.8 knots and is now nearly 35 nautical miles off the coast. Three Indian Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessels are escorting the vessel while also continuing essential firefighting efforts. At the time of this report, only thick smoke and a few remaining hotspots are visible onboard Wan Hai 503 - a testament to the effective and sustained firefighting operations carried out by the ICG, which helped prevent a potential environmental disaster. The ICG is closely coordinating with the Directorate General of Shipping to ensure the vessel remains at least 50 nautical miles from the Indian coastline until a suitable fate is decided by the owners of the vessel, in line with internationally accepted practices. According to the ICG, this marks a major stride in mitigating a hazardous situation and safeguarding the coastal environment. The situation is expected to further stabilise with the anticipated arrival of additional firefighting tugs to support the ongoing operation. 'The Indian Coast Guard remains ever-prepared to respond to such contingencies and continues to work in close synergy with sister services, state authorities, regulatory agencies, and private salvors to ensure the safety of life, property, and the marine ecosystem,' said ICG. (ANI)
