Vessel close to coast spooks Palghar locals

Locals informed the Palghar police about a vessel that was sighted off Gungvada village in Vangaon near Dahanu

A cargo vessel that was spotted sailing close to the shoreline on Monday evening spooked Palghar locals, who informed the marine police. However, after the latter launched an operation with the India Coast Guard (ICG), which lasted till Tuesday, they discovered that the vessel did not pose a threat and it was travelling near the seashore due to the rough sea.

A coast guard official, confirming the incident, said that since the 26/11 attacks, security agencies had grown concerned about coastal security, and several plans were made to create awareness among people living at coastal areas to stay alert and inform the ICG or marine police when they noticed something unusual.

“The incident once again reaffirmed the local populace’s awareness and the promptness of the Coast Guard and Marine police in matters of coastal security,” the official said.

According to ICG officials, on Monday evening locals informed the Palghar police about a vessel that was sighted off Gungvada village in Vangaon near Dahanu. Following the tip, the police informed the ICG and a joint investigation was held. The police then increased the beat patrol along the coastal road and coastal area to monitor and identify the boat late on Monday evening. Due to the rain and inclement weather, the ICG had to wait till Tuesday morning to launch a helicopter.

The helicopter located the boat and investigations revealed that the 15-metre-long tugboat “Ocean Ferrari, owned by Indian firm M/s Growmor Impex Pvt Ltd, was not suspicious. The tug, which had four crew members on board, was on its way from Hazira Port (in Surat) to Jawaharlal Nehru Port,” an ICG official said.