Pakistan Navy and PMSA rescued all 20 crew from a cargo dhow that began sinking east of Ormara.
The Pakistan Navy, in coordination with the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, rescued all 20 Pakistani crew members from a sinking cargo dhow east of Ormara on Thursday after the vessel began taking on water in the Arabian Sea. According to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the operation was launched after a distress call reached the Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre. All crew members were recovered and are receiving medical care.
The dhow was transiting from Karachi toward the Gulf of Oman when it experienced severe flooding. Deteriorating weather at sea added to the danger to the vessel and its crew. All those on board were Pakistani nationals.
After the distress alert reached the Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre, the centre coordinated an immediate search and rescue operation with the Pakistan Navy. The navy deployed both surface and air assets.
The Pakistan Navy deployed the ship PNS Hunain and a Sea King helicopter for the operation. PNS Hunain was diverted to the scene to carry out the rescue, while the Sea King helicopter provided aerial surveillance and extraction support. The teams recovered all 20 crew members from the vessel. The military did not state what caused the dhow to take on water.
The ISPR said all 20 crew members were safely recovered and are receiving medical care. It said the operation reflected the operational preparedness of the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency and their commitment to the safety of life at sea.
The rescue was one of two joint operations carried out by Pakistan’s maritime forces within 24 hours. It came a day after authorities launched a search following the crash of a K2 Airways cargo aircraft into the Arabian Sea.
Ormara and the Makran coast in Pakistan’s maritime history
Ormara sits on the Makran coast in Balochistan, about 360 kilometres west of Karachi and 230 kilometres east of Gwadar along the Arabian Sea. The town has a long history tied to the sea. Its name traces back more than 2,000 years to Ormoz, a general in Alexander the Great’s army who is believed to have died near the area during the campaign returning from the Indus region around 400 BC. The port is referenced in the ancient text Periplus of the Erythraean Sea under the name Oraea, marking it as a stop on early trade routes between the Middle East and South Asia.
Ormara is home to the Jinnah Naval Base, one of Pakistan’s largest naval installations and its second largest naval base. Named after the country’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the base was inaugurated on June 22, 2000, after construction that began in 1994. It was built to reduce Pakistan’s dependence on the port of Karachi, which sits close to the Indian border and was vulnerable to blockade, as happened during the 1971 war. The base is set at the foot of a 1,700-foot cliff shaped like a hammerhead, which provides natural cover, and it serves defence purposes rather than commercial shipping.
The Pakistan Navy’s responsibilities along this coastline extend beyond defence. As custodian of Pakistan’s roughly 1,050 kilometres of coastline and an exclusive economic zone covering about 240,000 square miles, the navy conducts coastal surveillance, search and rescue duties, anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations, and environmental protection. The Makran coast carries a mix of fishing harbours and commercial traffic moving between Karachi and the Gulf.
Pakistan maritime forces and safety at sea
The ISPR said the operation reaffirmed the Pakistan Navy’s commitment to the safety of life at sea and maritime emergency response. The latest mission adds to a series of recent rescue operations carried out by Pakistan’s maritime forces in the region.
Cargo dhows are a common sight on these routes, moving goods between Pakistani ports and the Gulf states. The fishing communities of the Makran coast depend on the sea for their livelihoods. All 20 crew members were safely recovered from the vessel.
