The vessel, MV Rak Carrier, was loaded with several thousand tons of coal and was on its way to Port Dahej in Gujarat from Tutung in Indonesia.
The Mumbai Coast Guard and the Navy have swung into action immediately after receiving a distress call from the sinking vessel. Special rescue ships and helicopters were also pressed into service.
The ship had a 30-member crew on board of Indonesian, Jordanian and Romanian nationalities, the Director General of Shipping (DGS) said in a statement. All of them were brought to Mumbai.
Though experts aver that the cargo remains sealed and that no oil has spilled into the sea, Maharashtra government has issued an alert. Apart from coal, the 225 metre-long vessel was carrying 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tons of diesel.
Consequent to the sinking of the ship, which also sparked fears of environmental pollution, a navigational warning has been issued to other ships in the area. MV Rak reported engine trouble and ingress of water with an SOS at 7:30 am.
“Panama-flagged M V Rak has sunk 20 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast due to ingress of water in the cargo hull. We suspect that some holes in the ship resulted in the seeping in of water,” said Inspector General of Coast Guard SPS Basra said.
DGS said it received information from the Mumbai port authorities that the 1984-built vessel was “adrift” since the early hours of Thursday at the entrance of the Mumbai harbour.