ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy rescued 19 Pakistani and Iranian fishermen from a stranded fishing boat in the North Arabian Sea, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday, in the latest humanitarian operation by the country’s naval forces.
Pakistan’s navy regularly conducts search-and-rescue operations in the Arabian Sea, responding to emergencies involving fishing boats, cargo vessels and merchant ships within its area of responsibility. Earlier this month, it rescued all 20 crew members from a sinking cargo vessel off Pakistan’s southwestern coast, while in April it evacuated 18 crew members of multiple nationalities from a distressed merchant vessel in the North Arabian Sea.
“Pakistan Navy successfully carried out a rescue operation to save a stranded fishing boat in the North Arabian Sea,” Radio Pakistan said about the latest rescue effort.
“During the operation, the Navy safely rescued all nineteen crew members on board, including eleven Pakistani and eight Iranian nationals.”
The report did not specify the cause of the vessel’s distress or the exact location of the rescue.
The Arabian Sea is one of the region’s busiest maritime corridors, carrying commercial shipping and supporting thousands of fishing vessels from Pakistan, Iran, Oman and other neighboring countries. Rough weather, mechanical failures and onboard emergencies frequently require maritime search-and-rescue operations by coastal states.
