India News | INS SHardul Escorts MV Kavaratti to Kochi

Kochi, Dec 18 (PTI) Anchored off Androth island following a fire in the engine room over the past few days, MV Kavaratti was brought to Kochi on Saturday to carry out repairs.

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An expert team of officers and sailors of INS Shardul escorted Kavaratti to Kochi.

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Kavaratti got stranded off the coast of Lakshadweep due to a fire onboard on November 30. It was later anchored off Androth island

The Southern Navy Command (SNC) undertook the mission based on a request from the Lakshadweep administration, the Navy said in a release.

"An expert team of officers and sailors of INS Shardul alongwith Officer-in-Charge Naval Detachment Androth, Lieutenant Commander Bishnu C Panda, embarked MV Kavaratti AM 17 Dec 21 and undertook a detailed assessment of the damage. During the interaction, the Naval crew assisted the crew of MV Kavaratti in starting the ship's port engine," Navy said.

Towing gears were passed to MV Kavaratti by INS Shardul and towing trials were conducted which provided the confidence and reassurance to the crew of MV Kavaratti towards towing operations in case of failure of the port main engine en route.

After rehearsing various emergencies, INS Shardul escorted MV Kavaratti safely to Kochi. "During the transit, personnel from INS Shardul and Naval Detachment Androth were embarked onboard to provide assistance to the MV in case of any machinery breakdown," the Navy said.

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The passenger ship was stranded on the high seas about 16 nautical miles from Kavaratti after a fire broke out in its engine room and the engine had to be shut down after extinguishing the flames.

The ship was en route to Androth from Kavaratti, where it had arrived from Kochi with over 600 passengers when the incident occurred.

In a statement, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) had said that a major fire in the engine room of the MV Kavaratti with 624 passengers and 85 crew on board was reported to the Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai, by the Lakshadweep Development Corporation Ltd.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)