The Indian Coast Guard on 26 July 2025 airlifted a 21-year-old seafarer suffering from acute chest pain and high fever from the merchant vessel MT Murlikisan, anchored approximately 2.1 nautical miles off the Porbandar breakwater, after deteriorating sea conditions ruled out a conventional transfer. The crew member is now reported stable after receiving treatment at Asha Hospital, Porbandar.

How the Operation Unfolded

The rescue was triggered late on the night of 25 July when the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Mumbai alerted Coast Guard District Headquarters-1 (CGDHQ-1) in Porbandar about a medical emergency aboard the vessel. The seafarer's condition — acute chest pain combined with a high fever — demanded urgent intervention that could not wait for calmer weather.

Prevailing rough seas made an open-sea personnel transfer impossible, according to officials. The MT Murlikisan was directed to proceed to the inner anchorage, but docking was not feasible. The Coast Guard then deployed an Advanced Light Helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Enclave, Porbandar, to conduct a winch-based evacuation directly from the vessel's deck.

Evacuation and Medical Response

The helicopter crew successfully winched the patient aboard and transported him to the Coast Guard Air Enclave, where an Indian Coast Guard medical officer provided initial stabilisation. The seafarer was subsequently transferred to Asha Hospital in Porbandar for specialised care. Officials confirmed his condition is currently stable.

A Pattern of Maritime Medical Rescues

This operation is the latest in a growing series of helicopter-based medical evacuations conducted by the Indian Coast Guard along India's western seaboard. Just days earlier, the force evacuated a 29-year-old Indian mariner from the tanker MT Kashimasan off the Goa coast under similar emergency circumstances.

Notably, in July 2024, an Advanced Light Helicopter from the same Coast Guard Air Enclave, Porbandar, evacuated a critically ill crew member from the motor tanker Zeal near Mangrol, battling heavy rainfall, strong winds, and poor visibility. The force has also conducted comparable rescues involving merchant vessels and fishing boats across the Arabian Sea.

What Officials Said

Coast Guard officials described the mission as a coordinated medical evacuation executed under challenging weather conditions. They reiterated the force's commitment to maritime search-and-rescue operations, citing its motto 'Vayam Rakshamah' — meaning 'We Protect' — as the guiding principle behind such deployments.

With maritime traffic along the Gujarat coast remaining heavy year-round, the Coast Guard's rapid-response helicopter capability at Porbandar is increasingly central to protecting seafarers in distress across the region.