Cargo ship collides with fishing boat off Palghar coast; 15 sailors rescued

A cargo ship collided with a fishing boat off the Palghar coast in Maharashtra, triggering panic. However, with the timely help of two other boats, the lives of 15 sailors were saved and a potential disaster averted, a district official said on Saturday.

The accident-hit vessel was brought back to the shore after nearly 17 hours of struggle at sea on Friday.

“The collision occurred about three nautical miles from the coastline on the night of August 14. The impact was such that four sailors of the ‘Shri Sai’ boat were thrown into the sea. They, however, managed to swim back to the vessel,” a Palghar district official said.

"Upon receiving the distress call, two nearby boats — ‘Jai Sai Priya’ and ‘Jai Sai Ram’ rushed to the spot and extended immediate assistance,” he said.

The fishermen not only rescued sailors but also secured the damaged vessel. Both boats tied up the damaged boat and began towing it towards Murbe port around 10.30 pm. However, strong winds and heavy waves complicated the task, with seawater gushing into the damaged boat.

“The ordeal continued well into the next day. After almost 17 hours of struggle, two more fishing boats from Murbe joined the operation, and together they managed to bring the damaged boat safely to Satpati-Murbe port on August 15 at around 3 pm,” the official added.

He said the fishing boat sustained extensive structural damage and was on the verge of splitting apart.

According to the official, “This courageous collective effort saved 15 sailors and prevented a large-scale disaster at sea.”