Indian Vessel MV Gautam: The Pakistan Navy stepped in to help an Indian ship that got stuck in the Arabian Sea after a big technical failure. The vessel was MV Gautam. It was sailing from Oman to India when it lost power and could not move on its own. Reuters reported that the ship had seven crew members on board, including six Indians and one Indonesian. Pakistan then sent its ship Kashmir to help the crew.
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The rescue came after the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai asked Pakistan for urgent help. The crew received food, medical aid, and technical support so the ship could stay safe while the problem was being handled. Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency also joined the operation. Reuters and NDTV both reported that this help was given after the distress call reached Pakistani authorities.
What Happened to MV Gautam?
Reports said the ship had a serious generator problem that caused a total power failure. NDTV said the vessel first lost power on May 3. After that, it slowly drifted in the sea at about 1.5 knots. By the evening of May 4, it had moved to a point around 262 nautical miles from Dwarka Lighthouse. With no proper propulsion and very weak communication, the ship became a navigation risk.
Indian Coast Guard ship Rajratan was also sent to check the situation. When officials made contact, they found that MV Gautam had only limited communication tools working on battery backup. NDTV reported that the vessel was using only VHF radio and AIS at that stage. The Indian Coast Guard later asked the Directorate General of Shipping to arrange a tugboat to pull the ship to safety.
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Another Rescue at Sea
This was not the first time Pakistan’s navy helped a ship in trouble. Reuters said that just last month Pakistan reported another rescue in the northern Arabian Sea, where its navy evacuated 18 crew members from a merchant vessel after a distress call.
