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Rough seas hampering salvage efforts
Adverse weather and prevailing sea conditions hampered the efforts to salvage the 'Sigma Pearl' and move it to a sheltered location. With all 20 crew members rescued, the focus has shifted to assessing the vessel's condition and determining whether it could be refloated. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said on Oct 30, that the condition of the vessel would be assessed to determine the feasibility of salvage operations. The prevailing sea conditions could pose challenges to recovery efforts. The 'Sigma Pearl' got stuck near Antarvedi in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, about 1.7 kilometres from the shore, amid rough seas triggered by Cyclone Arnab. The vessel had sailed from Visakhapatnam after discharging its cargo when it encountered strong winds and rough seas in the Bay of Bengal during the early morning of Oct 28. It lost steerage before running aground in shallow waters. The Coast Guard had deployed the patrol vessel 'Sujay' from Chennai and launched a helicopter-assisted operation from Mogalthur in West Godavari district. Using the ship's boats and helicopter support, personnel evacuated all crew members. The Coast Guard's medical team provided immediate assistance, and all rescued personnel were in a healthy condition. The bulk carrier had experienced repeated shutdowns of its generators while being berthed at Visakhapatnam Port, forcing cargo operations to be halted on several occasions. The vessel had faced serious power-generation problems due to failure of its auxiliary engines, both at berth and at anchorage. Its earlier power-generation problems left it without sufficient power to maintain its position, leading to the anchor being dragged and the vessel drifting towards the shore. The fate of the 'Sigma Pearl' depended on its structural and mechanical condition, and the technical and financial viability of salvage operations. Report with photo: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2026/Oct/31/mv-sigma-pearl-salvage-uncertain-as-rough-seas-hamper-recovery-efforts-off-andhra-coast
Bulk carrier ran aground
The ' Sigma Pearl', enroute from Visakhapatnam, lost engine power and ran aground in the strong gusts of the Cyclone Arnab off Machilipatnam in the Bay of Bengal at the Indian East Coast, in pos. 16-21.3 N 081-49.8 E on Oct 28, 2026. The strong winds, high surf and the loss of propulsion left the ship unable to manoeuvre, while navigating through the Ravva oilfield in KG Basin. lt had unloaded sulphur at the port of Visakhapatnam and departed for Singapore on Oct 27 at around 12.17 a.m., around the time when the Cyclone Arnab was approaching Yanam before making landfall in the early hours of Oct 28. The crew was reported to be safe, and the authorities were working to bring them ashore. The Indian Coast Guard deployed a helicopter the patrol vessel 'Sujay' to evacuate the crew. The Coast Guard personnel were using the helipad at Mogalthur village in West Godavari district for the rescue efforts. All 20 people have been safely transferred to the 'Sujay'. The ship was still stuck off Pallipalem as of Oct 29. Reports with photos and video: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/coast-guard-rescues-13-crew-members-from-merchant-ship-off-andhra-pradeshs-antarvedi/article71639852.ece https://www.mangalorean.com/coast-guard-rescues-20-crew-members-from-stranded-ship-off-andhra-coast/?amp=1 https://x.com/IndiaCoastGuard/status/2115813696887005444
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