Middle Eastern shipping company has lauded the timely rescue of two of its distressed vessels in south coast amid tropical cyclone 'Yamyin' by the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), which saved lives of 73 crewmembers in Pakistani territorial waters on Thursday.
In a letter written to KPT Chairman, Vice Admiral Ahmed Hayat, Valentine Maritime (Gulf) LLC -Abu Dhabi appreciated the efforts of entire 'Marine Team' of KPT for their efficient and timely action in bringing the two vessels inside the Karachi harbour on June 27, with 73 survivors of capsized barge named DLB-600, which was caught by TRS 'Yamyin' in position 2324.8 North - 6551.8 East off the south coast of Pakistan.
The survivors and crew on board these two vessels were in great distress since last three days due to heavy storm. Pakistan Navy also rescued two survivors of the sunken barge DLB-600, as Karachi was the nearest point and port of refuge for the crewmembers.
The survivors belong to various nationalities, including United States (Commander of sunken barge DLB-600), Jordanian, Indian, Thai, Sudan, Philippines, Palestine and others.
The foreign missions of various countries were also involved and concerned for the safety of their nationals. These missions were co-ordinating with the KPT for safe arrival and rescue of their nationals in Karachi Port.
The survivors when arrived Karachi Harbour were provided all medical assistance, first aid and deployed ambulances and refreshments were provided by the port authority.
The shipping company felt that the timely action by all concerned people within marine department had set an example that Karachi port was not only an efficient port in the region for cargo handling, but also responds to vessels in distress situations with complete facilities available in case of emergencies in co-ordination with professional agencies working within the port.