Saudi-led coalition naval forces rescued the crew of a Yemeni vessel, al-Wathiq, floating in the Arabian Sea at a distance of 117 nautical miles from the port of Nishtun, following engine failure.
It sailed from Socotra island towards Mahra province’s coasts, carrying 60 Yemeni passengers, including 11 women, seven children and 42 men, and five crew members.
The vessel was blown off its course by 20 nautical miles due to the prevailing winds, making the search and rescue efforts difficult.
The Coalition naval forces, under the Joint Command Forces in Mahra governorate, started a search and rescue operation using their sea boats.
The searching process continued for 18 hours before finding the stalled vessel on Thursday.
The vessel was towed to Nishtun Port after checking on the health of all its passengers and crew. The towing operation took 28 hours in a 46-hour search and rescue operation.
Upon the arrival of the vessel on Friday, the medical aid team at the Coalition’s field hospital and al-Ghaidah Hospital provided the necessary health care to the ship’s passengers and crew.
The Coalition’s efforts in rescuing the vessel’s passengers and crew was received with a great response of relief and appreciation by the rescued people’s relatives and the community in the governorate.
