Indian Coast Guard rescue saves six fishermen off Mangaluru coast

An Indian Coast Guard rescue team pulled six fishermen to safety off Mangaluru on June 29, after their boat began flooding and taking hull damage in rough seas roughly 33 nautical miles off the Suratkal coast. The fishing boat, IFB Manju Matha, sent out a VHF RT distress call at around 1600 hrs.

Distress call reaches ICGS Sachet

ICG Ship Sachet intercepted the call. The crew reported severe flooding and hull damage, with all six fishermen at imminent risk. Sachet diverted course without delay and made the rendezvous.

Remote-operated lifebuoys deployed in rough water

Conditions were poor. Rough seas, strong winds, and weak visibility complicated the approach. The Sachet crew used remote-operated lifebuoys built for inclement sea conditions to reach and recover the stranded men one by one. By 1800 hrs, all six had been pulled aboard safely.

Indian Coast Guard rescue operation closes out at New Mangalore

ICGS Sachet is now entering New Mangalore, where the rescued crew will disembark.

A familiar pattern off the Karnataka coast

Search and rescue calls of this kind are routine work for the Coast Guard's western seaboard units during the monsoon months, when small fishing craft face the highest risk from sudden flooding and hull failure in choppy water. This Indian Coast Guard rescue is the latest in a string of such interventions along the western seaboard this season. The Ministry of Defence release credited the operation to what it called the effective integration of modern technology with the courage, training, and professionalism of Coast Guard personnel.

Coast Guard cites readiness under its SAR mandate

The Indian Coast Guard runs a standing national maritime search and rescue mandate across India's exclusive economic zone, operating under the Ministry of Defence. Ships like Sachet are positioned for rapid diversion to distress calls along busy fishing corridors such as the one off Suratkal, where boat traffic is heavy through the year. The Mangaluru rescue follows the commissioning of ICGS Akshay into the Coast Guard fleet last week, part of a broader fleet expansion that also took in the Eastern Fleet's port call in Thailand and the Sudarshini's arrival in Baltimore, both logged on India's wider naval calendar this week.