Port Blair, Sept 09: On 17 September 2019, CG Dornier on surveillance sortie detected one suspicious vessel operating in Indian Exclusive Economic Zone. The vessel was not responding on maritime frequency. On receipt of information, Coast Guard Ship Rajtarang was sailed from Port Blair for interception.
Braving the rough seas and adverse weather conditions, Rajtarang intercepted the vessel at about 2035 hrs on 17 August 2019 approximately 109 miles East of Port Blair. The Coast Guard Ship tried to establish communication with the boat on maritime frequency to identify: however, the boat did not respond and increased speed to run away. The boat was not flying any country’s flag and was not having any name or registration marking on its hull.
Coast Guard ship warned the boat several times on loud hailer and VHF set and also flashed search light indicating the boat to stop and identify, however boat tried to evade and run away from the ship. Thereafter, coast guard ship fired warning shots in the air to forcefully stop her. Finally, the boat stopped and surrendered after approximately 02 hours of chase.
On boarding by ICG Team, the boat was found to be of Myanmarese origin having 07 crew and found timber logs onboard. The vessel was carrying 03 KL quantity of fuel and master/ crew could not give any reason for their presence in Indian waters. The boat is suspected to be involved in illegal trade. The boat alongwith 07 crew was escorted to Port Blair harbour on 19 August 2019 for joint interrogation by all security and intelligence agencies.
The Indian Coast Guard has been maintaining constant vigil in Maritime Zones of India deploying ships and aircraft regularly to monitor suspicious activates in our waters. Coast Guard is also committed to prevent any illegal exploitation of our rich marine reserves.
