Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat off Goa, two fishermen missing – The Week

An Indian Navy submarine collided with a fishing vessel about 70 nautical miles off the Goa coast late on Thursday. A rescue operation is currently underway to find two missing crew members of a fishing vessel.

The fishing vessel Martoma had a total of 13 crew members, 11 of whom were rescued during the search operation.

The Navy sent six ships and several reconnaissance aircraft for the rescue operation.

“It is reported that the Indian fishing vessel Marthoma, with a crew of 13, collided with an Indian Navy unit on November 21, approximately 70 nautical miles northwest of Goa,” an Indian Navy spokesman said.

“Search and rescue operations were immediately launched by the Indian Navy using six ships and aircraft. Eleven crew members have been rescued so far,” he added.

The Navy is coordinating rescue efforts with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Mumbai.

The Navy has ordered a high-level investigation into the incident.

The spokesman said additional forces, including the coast guard, had been deployed to the area to enhance rescue efforts.

The vessel encountered a Navy Scorpion-class submarine, which is capable of performing a broader range of functions, including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance.

The Navy did not release details of the collision.

In August this year, a fishing boat collided with a Sri Lankan naval vessel off the coast of Tamil Nadu and one fisherman drowned.