Kakinada, 29 October (H.S.): The Indian Coast Guard on Thursday rescued 13 crew members of the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Sigma Pearl, which was stranded near the Ravva oilfield off the Kakinada coast in Andhra Pradesh following an engine failure amid rough sea conditions caused by Cyclone Arnab.

The rescue operation was continuing off the coast near Antarvedi village in Dr B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district to evacuate the remaining seven crew members from the 180-metre-long vessel, according to official sources cited in the report.

The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and a vessel to assist the stranded crew. Rescue personnel were coordinating operations from a helipad at Mogalthur village in West Godavari district. The Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sujay was also dispatched to the location.

The vessel, with a gross tonnage of 20,809, was reportedly returning to Singapore after unloading cargo at Visakhapatnam port. It departed the port on October 27, as Cyclone Arnab approached the Andhra Pradesh coast before making landfall near Yanam in the early hours of October 28.

Authorities in West Godavari district were assisting the Coast Guard in the rescue operation.

*The rescue figures and the status of the operation are as of the time of filing and may be updated as further information becomes available.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar