Sixteen mariners from aboard the Korean-flagged merchant ship Jai Laxmai almost certainly owe their lives to the crews of the SIU-contracted Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet replenishment oiler USNS Kanawha and the French warship Dupleix.
Crews from the American and French vessels on June 25 jointly rescued the North Korean vessel’s 16-person crew—composed of 13 Indians, two Burmese and one Sri Lankan—in the Arabian Sea. The Kanawha—crewed by members of the SIU Government Services Division—and Dupleix at 6:26 p.m. June 25 responded to a distress call from the MV Jai Laxmai, which was in danger of sinking.
The Laxmai had a disabled diesel engine and was anchored by a weak mooring line in unstable sea conditions. Waves were cresting at about 10 feet and the winds were blowing at speeds of up to 27 knots. Further complicating the situation, the crew of the Jai Laxmai reported that no food or water was available on board their vessel. They also were unable to deploy their vessel’s lifeboats.
The U.S. 5th Fleet’s multinational Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 and CTF 53 directed the Kanawha and Dupleix to set course for the distressed vessel and to rescue its crew (CTF 150 is in charge of security in the region where the vessel was in distress, while CTF is responsible for the 5th Fleet’s logistics operations). The SIU ship had been steaming toward the Suez Canal, but promptly changed course and sailed 35 miles at top speed to reach the scene. Kanawha and Dupleix crew members launched their rigid-hull, inflatable boats (RHIBs) at 9:35 p.m., three-quarters of a mile from where the Jai Laxmai was helplessly floating in the turbulent sea.
The Kanawha’s RHIB made two trips to the Jai Laxmai, evacuating six rescued mariners to the Dupleix each time. Dupleix’s RHIB retrieved the other four.
Once on board the Dupleix, all 16 rescued crew members were examined and found to be in good health. They subsequently were transferred ashore in Salalah, Oman.
“The quick and brave actions of Kanawha’s crew represent the finest traditions of mariners helping other mariners in need,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Glen Sears, commander, Sealift Logistics Command Central and CTF 53.
The Kanawha has been supporting U.S. Navy and coalition ships operating in the Middle East since March 20. The ship, with 90 civil service mariners, deployed from the United States in February.
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