The Coast Guard personnel on Thursday intercepted two suspicious ships off Gujarat coast. Sources said that the ships departed from foreign ports but not scheduled to enter any Indian port.
The Coast Guard vessel on patrol intercepted the ships and initiated interrogation of crew members. The foreign vessels are from African countries. It is reported that these ships had departed foreign ports but were not scheduled to enter any Indian port, the maritime security agency said on Thursday.
On July 10, Indian Coast Guard Dornier aircraft, on surveillance mission, sighted an unfamiliar boat adrift at sea.
The aircraft immediately informed the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Samudra Prahari in the area for investigation, the agency said in a statement.
The boat Al Bome Marize from Yemen was intercepted and a Coast Guard team boarded it.
Initial investigations revealed that the foreign boat with six crew (three crew from Yemen, two from Tanzania and one from Somalia), had developed engine problem on Jun 10 while operating off Yemen Coast and has been adrift since then.
“The boat was searched for any illegal contraband or consignment. Thereafter, the boat was towed to Porbandar by a Coast Guard ship for investigation by a joint interrogation team which presently is in progress to verify crew credentials.