MUMBAI: The Indian Navy warship ( INS Teg ) of the Western Naval Command in Mumbai that was employed on anti-piracy duty of Gulf of Aden reached for assistance to clear technical glitches occurred on to MV Vela, a Norwegian-owned ship with an all Indian crew. The merchant ship was unable to sail properly after her 40 ton anchor dropped and hanged.

A Indian Navy spokesperson said INS Teg whilst patrolling in the piracy infested waters of Gulf of Aden on August 25 received a call from a Combined Task Force aircraft for providing assistance to MV Vela, a Norwegian-owned ship with an all Indian crew. "The vessel was in distress as her Port Anchor along with the entire 330 mtrs cable weighing approx 42 tons had inadvertently slipped and was hanging into the sea," said the official.

This had severely disabled the ship with her speed being restricted to 5-6 knots, thus making her vulnerable to piracy attacks, apart from being a navigational hazard for herself as well as for other ships in the dense shipping corridor. "INS Teg quickly dispatched a specialist team to carry out an assessment of the situation and provided assistance for recovery of the anchor and cable. The team was lead by the ship's Engineering Officer and comprised the other specialist officers, seamanship instructor, Anchor Chain Cable Specialist and Machinery Specialist," said the official.

The official said concerted efforts over three days finally resulted in the successful recovery of the anchor alongwith the entire 330 m of cable. This evolution not only ensured onward safe voyage of MV Vela, which had to subsequently transit through the constricted waters of Red Sea and Suez Canal , but also averted huge financial loss.

MV Vela and the Combined Task Force were quick to express their gratitude to the ship and the Indian Navy via emails.

