Navy rescues crew members from distressed Merchant Vessel

In a swift response to a distress call, the Sri Lanka Navy successfully rescued the crew of the Merchant Vessel (MV) INTEGRITY STAR, that was in distress due to failure in main engines approximately 100 nautical miles south of Sri Lanka.

The rescued crew of the vessel was brought to the Port of Hambantota on Sunday morning (26 Oct).

Upon receiving the distress alert, the Navy, under the directives of the Ministry of Defence, swiftly deployed the SLNS Samudura for a search and rescue mission through the mediation of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo.

The search and rescue operation by the Navy resulted in the safe recovery of all crew members (14), who are nationals of India, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, MV MORNING GLORY, another Merchant Vessel in the vicinity, was also prepared to assist the distressed vessel, demonstrating effective international cooperation in maritime emergency response, the Navy said.