Indian Coast Guard in Karnataka has advised fishing community, coastal population and tourists not to venture into the sea for the next 48 hours as the sea conditions are likely to be non-conducive due to the impact of cyclone Ockhi.
In a press release said here on Saturday that the merchant ships should also be alert and avoid the path of cyclone Ockhi.
Various Naval and Coast Guard ships and aircraft are patrolling the seas to render search and rescue services. It said that merchant ships or fishing boats should also assist each other so that lives can be saved in time. Fishing boats should remain in groups, and all the crew should remain together during distress.
It said that the type of distress, position, time, type of vessel/boat, vessel colour, name, number of crew and their medical condition, status of the machinery/hull condition of the distressed vessel/boat should be relayed urgently and repeated at regular intervals.
Any distress to life at sea must be conveyed by using maximum possible means such as radio telephony channel 16, mobile phone, distress alert transmitter, international maritime satellite system, EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), search and rescue transponder, etc.
The release said that Indian Coast Guard can be contacted on toll free number 1554 and VHF channel 16. The landline numbers of No. 3 Coast Guard District Headquarters (Karnataka) in New Mangalore are 0824-2405278/2405269.