Indian vessel MV Gautam aided by Pakistan Navy following technical failure, says report

The Pakistan Navy has assisted a stranded Indian vessel in the Arabian Sea after it sent out a distress call following a major technical failure.

The ship, identified as MV Gautam, was travelling from Oman to India when it suffered a complete power breakdown, leaving it adrift at sea.

According to a Reuters report citing a Pakistani military statement, the navy responded to the emergency after being contacted by Indian authorities.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai had reached out to Islamabad seeking immediate help for the crew onboard.

The vessel had seven crew members, six Indians and one Indonesian, all of whom were provided emergency support. The Pakistan Navy deployed its ship, PMSS Kashmir, to carry out the rescue and relief operation.

Emergency response and support

The report said that Pakistani navy provided food, medical aid and technical assistance to stabilise the situation and ensure the safety of those onboard.

The operation was carried out with support from the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), which also helped assess the vessel’s condition.

The ship had reportedly faced a critical failure and could not continue its journey. Despite efforts, the main generator onboard was later declared beyond repair by technical teams.

This is not the first such operation in recent weeks. Last month, Pakistan said that it had rescued and evacuated 18 crew members from a merchant vessel in the northern Arabian Sea after receiving a distress call.

Vessel drifting, Indian Coast Guard steps in

Separately, according to an NDTV report, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was informed about the situation late on May 4 by its regional headquarters in Gandhinagar. The vessel had lost power on May 3 due to a generator malfunction while it was in Pakistan’s Search and Rescue Region (SRR).

After the alert, the MRCC in Mumbai passed on the information to Pakistani authorities. The vessel then began drifting slowly towards Indian waters at a speed of about 1.5 knots. By the evening of May 4, it had moved to a position roughly 262 nautical miles from Dwarka Lighthouse.

The report said that the Indian Coast Guard then deployed its ship Rajratan to the area to assess the situation. When officials established contact, they found the vessel had very limited communication systems, relying only on battery-powered VHF radio and AIS.

Meanwhile, the PMSA personnel had boarded the vessel and inspected the damage. With the ship left without propulsion and lighting, it has been flagged as a navigational hazard.

The Indian Coast Guard has now asked the Directorate General of Shipping to arrange a tugboat to tow the vessel to safety.