The coastal research vessel (CRV) -- Sagar Paschmi -- of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIO) capsized off Visakhapatnam coast on the day of cyclone Hudhud, according to a press release issued by Forward Seamen's Union of India.
Abdul Sharieff, the union representative, said the vessel belonging to the Shipping Corporation of India was on hire to the NIO and on the day of the cyclone it sank near the fishing harbour. All the 12 crew members escaped unhurt. He said it was regrettable that neither the SCI nor the NIO had deemed it fit to report the capsize of the vessel with costly equipment worth crores. Nor did the authorities bother about the crew, he alleged.