Panaji: The Indian Coast Guard carried out a rapid and well-coordinated medical evacuation on Thursday, rescuing a 29-year-old Indian mariner from the India-flagged merchant vessel MT Kashimasan off the coast of Goa.“Around 3am on Thursday, an email was received from the master of the vessel regarding medical emergency. A crew member identified as Laxman Dattatray Pandhare was ill with severe lower abdominal pain and back pain.The operation was overseen by Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 11 (Goa) and carried out by ICGS Akshay, a fast patrol vessel built by Goa Shipyard Limited. The ICGS Akshay reached the merchant vessel despite challenging weather and rough sea conditions. The patient was transferred from the MT Kashimasan, with Coast Guard officers saying the ICGS crew demonstrated a high degree of operational readiness despite the choppy seas to bring the patient safely aboard before transferring him for urgent medical treatment ashore.The MT Kashimasan is a 333m-long crude oil tanker that was on its way to Kochi from Fujairah port, UAE. Pandhare was admitted at Daffodils Hospital, Vasco.Coast Guard authorities described the mission as a clear example of the force’s rapid-response capabilities and its broader commitment to the safety of mariners operating in Indian waters. “When minutes matter, preparedness delivers,” the Coast Guard said in a statement, emphasising that timely intervention can be the difference between life and death for sailors in distress far from shore.The evacuation adds to a series of similar operations conducted by the ICG this year, reinforcing its role as the first responder for maritime emergencies along India’s coastline and reaffirming its mandate to ensure safety of life at sea whenever called upon.
