Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai (MRCC) is responsible for coordinating air-sea rescue in Mumbai and an extensive area of the Arabian Sea. Besides the territorial waters of Mumbai.^[1][2] It works under Indian Coast Guard.^[3]

Operations

On the evening of 12 JAN 12, INCG Amrit kaur was on a training mission west of the Suheli Par atoll in the Lakshadweep archipelago. She was alerted by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Mumbai about Somali pirate activity in the area to her west. INS Tir tracked the pirate skiffs to a hijacked Thai fishing trawler Prantalay 11 being used as a pirate mother ship.^[4]

On receiving distress call from MT Chios, a Greece-flagged crude oil tanker,^[5] was being chased by heavily armed pirates about 82 nautical miles west of Suheli Par in the Lakshadweep archipelago. The tanker, on its way from Singapore to Yemen, adopted best management practices and evasive manoeuvres to dodge the skiffs on the prowl. Meanwhile, an armed Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft launched from naval air station INS Garuda in the Southern Naval Command spotted the skiffs around 8 p.m. on Saturday and relayed the location coordinates to INS Tir (A86), which was operating in close proximity.

There are has been many instances of piracy in Arabian Sea.^[3]

References