Indian Coast Guard Rescues Crew of Grounded Bulker

On Friday, the Indian Coast Guard rescued 14 crewmembers from a bulker that drifted aground off the coast of Mumbai in rough weather. 

The bulker JSW Raigad made a distress call to the Indian Coast Guard on Thursday, and they reported their vessel had dragged anchor in heavy weather and gone aground. The ship was about two nautical miles off Kolaba Fort, a historic fortification south of Mumbai's harbor entrance. The coastline is rocky, and conditions were rough, preventing Indian Coast Guard response boat units from reaching the ship. 

A spokesperson for operator JSW told local media that the vessel went adrift due to strong winds and "low visibility." The vessel's stability was intact, there were no casualties, and all crewmembers were safe on board while awaiting rescue. 

The following morning, the Indian Coast Guard reported that the Raigad had sustained flooding in the engine room. At 1000 hours, an ICG helicopter flew out to the ship to begin evacuating the crew. In "extreme sea conditions," all of the crewmembers were flown to safety on the beach, the ICG said in a statement. 

@IndiaCoastGuard helicopter successfully evacuated 14 Indian crew from the grounded bulk #Carrier JSW Raigad near #Alibaug, #Mumbai today at 1000hrs. The vessel, anchored off the coast, experienced anchor dragging, loss of control, and engine room flooding. In extreme sea… pic.twitter.com/UNuKPZH1jA

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) July 26, 2024

JSW Raigad is a 2017-built freighter with a capacity of 8,000 dwt. She has no international inspection record, suggesting a history of domestic trade. 

JSW is one of the largest conglomerates in India, with interests in steel, energy, port operations, cement and real estate. Nearly two dozen IMO-registered vessels bear the JSW name.