By IANS,
Mumbai : Two Indian ships sank at different locations in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast Thursday. There were no casualties and 20 crew members were rescued, an Indian maritime authority said here Friday.
The crew members abandoned the vessels and were rescued by the Coast Guard from their dingies.
MSV Khwaja-e-Karam with a crew of nine sank 27 miles off the Okha port in Gujarat due to inclement weather conditions, while MSV Safina Hussein with 11 crew members sank 20 miles off Okha port, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) said.
Both the vessels were sailing from Sharjah in United Arab Emirates to Salaya port in Gujarat, the DGS said.
Since the two vessels have sunk in depths of 22 to 24 metres, the DGS has issued a warning to ships in the area that both these wrecks can be dangerous to surface navigation.
With the onset of monsoon on the western coast of India, the Arabian Sea has been experiencing rough weather for the past couple of days. Friday saw 4.9 metres high waves in Mumbai during evening high tide.
The DGS has also ordered a preliminary enquiry into the twin casualty by the principal officer of the Mercantile Marine Department in Kandla.