Boat smuggling diesel on high seas seized; 5 crew members held
A fishing vessel smuggling diesel on high seas was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) off the Mumbai coast on Tuesday night. Five crew members have been arrested with foreign currency worth Rs11.46 lakh and 20,000 litres of high speed diesel. To evade law agencies, the boat was operating with multiple false identities. It was escorted to Mumbai anchorage early Wednesday morning for joint investigation with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Customs and police.
Acting on intelligence from Customs, the Coast Guard West Regional Headquarters launched an operation covering 200 square miles of the western coast of Maharashtra to search for the suspect vessel. The ICG launched two fast patrol vessels and an interceptor boat to track the vessel amid adverse weather conditions.
“It was a challenging task to find the suspect fishing vessel amidst considerable fishing and merchant traffic covering a vast area of 200 square miles, including the offshore development areas off Maharashtra coast,” said the ICG spokesperson. The boat was finally intercepted 83 nautical miles northwest off Mumbai. It had set sail from the Mandwa port on Sunday night for an alleged deal with offshore supply vessels and commercial ships to purchase diesel at cheap rates and smuggle into India for retail sale.
During the search, the ICG found several hidden and modified holds to store smuggled fuel up to 20,000 liters. “When cross-checked, the available data on the suspect boat indicated multiple discrepancies in vessel registration. The rummaging operation led to seizure of foreign currencies meant for purchase of discounted diesel,” added the spokesperson.
Last week, ICG ship 'Savitribai Phule' responded to the distress call of the Indian fishing boat 'Rosary' that got stranded 215 nautical miles from Karwar was rescued in adverse sea conditions. “The Coast Guards boarded the adrift vessel and tried to fix the engine rendered immobile. It was eventually towed to the Karwar port and later handed over the owners,” said the spokesperson.