MUSCAT: MV Wadi Bani Khalid, a container ship, owned by Asyad Group along with the Indian Coast Guard rescued 19 crew members of Motor Tanker Parth after it sank 41 nautical miles off the Ratnagiri coast in India.

MT Parth, including 18 Indians and their Ethiopian Master, was carrying 3911 metric tons of asphalt bitumen from Khor Fakkan in the Emirate of Sharjah to New Mangalore Port in South India.

The 102-metre-long vessel reported flooding in the water ballast tanks at about 0923 hours on the Sea of Oman and the crew was forced to abandon it soon.

As soon as the MV Wadi Bani Khalid ship received the distress call, it rushed to provide relief and rescue the crew of the sinking ship, despite the harsh navigational conditions, such as high sea levels and wind speed.

International Safety Net and NAVTEX warnings were shared to vessels in the area and the container ship MV Wadi Bani Khalid was directed to assist the 2008-built, a Gabon-flagged vessel.

The Indian Coast Guard in an official release said that while carrying out the usual patrols in the area, it received a distress call from the MT Parth and a request for assistance was sent to the merchant ships close to the place and the Wadi Bani Khalid ship of the Asyad Group was quick to provide assistance, relief, rescue of all members of the crew, provided them with necessary medical care and followed other official procedures.

The captain of the Wadi Bani Khalid ship said: “After we received the distress call, we headed towards the nearest safe distance from the sinking ship, we started lowering the rescue boat and rescuing the crew members after they were asked to evacuate the stricken ship as soon as possible.”

It is noteworthy that the Asyad Fleet was recently approved by the US Coast Guard to participate in the Global Ship Rescue System, an automated system managed by the US Coast Guard with the aim of preserving the safety of life and property at sea.

The importance of this system is to provide rapid search and rescue services on demand and to provide accurate information on the locations and coordinates of ships in distress or in danger, which makes the maritime sector safer.