INS Shardul reached the area on the morning of 17 December. An expert team of officers and sailors of INS Shardul along with Officer-in-Charge Naval Detachment Androth Lieutenant Commander Bishnu C Panda embarked MV Kavaratti and undertook a detailed assessment of the damage.
Representation image (Photo: ANI)
MV Kavaratti, a Lakshadweep Development Corporation Limited run ship, which awaited towing assistance for repairs following damage caused to it by a fire that broke out on 30 November, has been successfully escorted to Kochi.
The operation to escort MV Kavaratti safely to Kochi was completed on Saturday. Based on a request from the Lakshadweep administration for towing the ship from Androth to Kochi for repairs, the Indian Navy in a quick move dispatched INS Shardul to Androth for rendering assistance to the disabled ship on 16 December.
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INS Shardul reached the area on the morning of 17 December. An expert team of officers and sailors of INS Shardul along with Officer-in-Charge Naval Detachment Androth Lieutenant Commander Bishnu C Panda embarked MV Kavaratti and undertook a detailed assessment of the damage.
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During the interaction, the Indian Navy crew assisted the crew of MV Kavaratti in starting the ship’s port engine. Towing gears were passed to MV Kavaratti by INS Shardul and towing trials were conducted with MV Kavaratti.
“The trials provided the much-needed confidence and reassurance to the crew of MV Kavaratti towards towing operations in case of failure of the port main engine en route,” according to a Defence ministry note.
After rehearsing various emergencies, INS Shardul escorted MV Kavaratti safely to Kochi on the evening of 18 December. 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.
Earlier, a fire had broken onboard MV Kavaratti in the starboard engine room on 30 November, which was subsequently extinguished by the crew. However, because of the damage caused by the fire, the ship could not start her engines and had been anchored off Androth Island since 30 November, awaiting towing assistance for repairs.
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