Having located the possible wreckage of the fishing boat 'Oceanic', the Southern Naval Command (SNC) on Aug 13augmented its search operations by dispatching a ship to ascertain the area covered by the wreckage as well the presence of dead bodies in its vicinity
Having located the possible wreckage of the fishing boat 'Oceanic', the Southern Naval Command (SNC) on Aug 13augmented its search operations by dispatching a ship to ascertain the area covered by the wreckage as well the presence of dead bodies in its vicinity. An investigation using the side-scan sonar of INS 'Sutlej' had pointed to a strong possibility of the boat around three nautical miles northeast of the estimated position of the collision. The SNC has despatched INS 'Nireekshak', a ship that specialises in underwater operations and has a remote operated vehicle (ROV). The reported depth in the incident area was 75 metres, and due to the ongoing onslaught of monsoon, the weather conditions at sea were marginal. Notwithstanding the difficult circumstances, attempts will be made to ascertain the presence of bodies of missing fishermen in the likely wreck at sea with the ROV. A firm understanding of the situation will enable the civic administration to plan salvage operations and recovery of bodies. The Navy, which has deployed its surface and air assets to locate the wreckage, has so far searched a total area of 1,600 nautical miles and clocked 216 ship hours with 27 hours of flying operations. Besides the Navy, the Indian Coast Guard and the Marine Enforcement Wing have been taking part in the search operation. The examination of the 'Desh Shakti' was slated to be completed by Aug 14 at the New Mangalore Port.
