Indian Coast Guard Rescues Two Crew From US Yacht Adrift Near Nicobar Islands
Indian Coast Guard vessel Rajveer rescued the crew onboard the adrift yacht. Image courtesy: X.com/@IndiaCoastGuard
The Indian Coast Guard rescued two crew members from a US-flagged yacht that suffered a complete propulsion failure near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, officials said Friday (July 11).
The crew, one US national and one Turkish national, had been stranded 52 nautical miles southeast of Indira Point after their vessel, the Sea Angel, became disabled late Thursday (July 10).
The Coast Guard said it received a distress alert from the US Consulate in Chennai and deployed ICG Ship Rajveer on July 10. Upon reaching the vessel, the Sea Angel was found adrift with its sail blown off and its propeller fouled by ropes.
“The Indian Coast Guard rescued two US nationals stranded on a distressed US-flagged sailing vessel, Sea Angel, approximately 53 miles south of the Nicobar Islands. On receiving a distress message via the US Consulate in Chennai, ICG Ship Rajveer was deployed and responded despite rough sea conditions,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The vessel was taken under tow and brought safely to Campbell Bay on July 11.
The Nicobar Islands, part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, are ecologically sensitive and include several protected areas. These islands have national parks and biosphere reserves designated to conserve their unique biodiversity, including Campbell Bay National Park and Galathea National Park on Great Nicobar Island.
The rescue comes weeks after the Coast Guard retrieved three Sri Lankan nationals who had been abandoned on a sandbar near Adam’s Bridge off the Tamil Nadu coast. The individuals had reportedly been dropped there by an unidentified boat after departing from Sri Lanka.
