Pakistan rescues 12 Indian sailors after cargo ship sinks in Arabian Sea

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) successfully coordinated a rescue operation on Wednesday (December 4), saving 12 crew members from a life raft after their Indian cargo vessel sank in Pakistani waters.

The incident highlighted the effectiveness of "compartmentalized cooperation" - where nations maintain the ability to collaborate in specific areas like maritime safety despite broader diplomatic tensions.

The vessel MSV AL PIRANIPIR departed Porbandar, Gujarat on December 2 en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran, carrying general cargo. After encountering rough seas during its journey, the vessel experienced flooding that led to its sinking early Wednesday morning.

The life raft carrying survivors from a sinking Indian cargo vessel, photographed from above.Reuters

At 10:20 p.m. Pakistan time (0520 GMT), the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Pakistan received an urgent communication from MRCC Mumbai requesting assistance in locating and rescuing survivors from the sunken vessel, which had gone down in Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

A life raft carrying survivors from a sinking Indian cargo vessel drifts as a Pakistani ship conducts a rescue operation.Reuters

The PMSA swiftly launched a multi-agency rescue effort, deploying an aircraft to locate the survivors while alerting nearby commercial vessels to assist. The operation also coordinated with the Indian Coast Guard vessel Sarthak, which was conducting routine patrol duties in the adjacent EEZ, to recover the survivors.

Pakistan's Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre (JMICC) facilitated the collaborative effort, placing Pakistan Navy and PMSA ships on high alert. The nearest Pakistan Navy vessel was immediately dispatched to the scene, while the merchant vessel MV Cosco Glory provided additional support during the search operation, which took place approximately 270 kilometers west of Dwarka.

The rescue proved successful, with all 12 crew members being safely transferred to the Sarthak. Following medical examinations that confirmed their good health, the survivors were transported back to Porbandar harbor.

Maritime cooperation

This rescue operation is part of a continuing pattern of maritime cooperation between regional forces near the Arabian Sea. Just two months prior, in October 2024, Pakistan Navy Ship Zulfiquar rescued 23 Iranian fishermen from the fishing dhow Al Muhammadi in the Gulf of Aden, providing both medical care and technical assistance.

In 2022, the PMSA rescued six Indian fishermen found drowning near the International Maritime Boundary Line, and in a separate incident that August, helped save nine Indian crew members when their vessel 'Jamna Sagar' capsized near Gwadar.

In 2018, PNS Alamgir assisted the Indian fishing vessel St Marys with its twelve-member crew, which had been stranded for eight days near Salalah, Oman, requiring both technical repairs and humanitarian aid.