MANGALORE: Deep depression in the South-east Arabian Sea has threatened the lives of six crew members of a Mangalore-based goods transporting ship, MSV Al-Akhtar, near Lakshadweep Islands on Sunday morning. The Multipurpose Supply Vessel (MSV), with a captain and five crew members, started off from Mangalore Old Port on Thursday. The captain had sent a distress call at 5.50 am on Sunday, but lost connection thereafter.Captain K Shankaran (58) of Perambara near Quilandi in Kozhikode in Kerala, along with crew members Amin Jusab Bhaya (39) Amad Ismail Gajan (27), Salim Ali Sumbhanta (43), Mosin Aliyas Kara (27) and Althaf Salemamad Chamadia (23) are in distress in the Arabian Sea. The crew members are all from various places in Jamanagar district in Gujarat. The ship was loaded with 105 tonnes of grocery items, tiles, cement, crusher jelly and household items.General power of attorney holder of the vessel (MNG 453), Abdul Tousif, quoting the captain said that the high tide rose in the Arabian sea early in the morning. “The captain called to inform us that they are in need of a boat as the anchors of the ship are unstable and water had rushed inside the ship. We tried to contact the crew members through their cell phones, but of no avail.” Describing the lack of a proper jetty in Ameni Island, he said that the anchor of all ships are at a distance of five nautical miles from the shore.VHF signal tower operators at Ameni Island said over the phone that the control tower was not working due to technical problems for the past one month. “We have no information about the ship’s movement,” the operator added. Kavaretti tower operator informed that no search operation has started as a few boats returned halfway due to the situation at sea.
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