Nine indian sailors were saved thanks to the Distress Alert Transponder (DAT), an indigenous device developed by the indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in collaboration with the indian Coast Guard (ICG).

Due to a mechanical glitch, the nine-crewed Mechanised Sailing Vessel (MSV) Annai Vailankanne Arockia Vennila was trapped at sea and feared on-board flooding in strong sea conditions while sailing between Tuticorin (south tamil Nadu) and the Maldives.

The distress call from the ship was received by the indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in chennai around 4 p.m. Tuesday. The ship was 170 miles from Tuticorin and 230 miles from the maldives at the time of the incident. The MRCC activated the international Safety Net (ISN) and created the National search and Rescue Services. Two merchant boats in the area, the MV SKS Mosel and the MC MCP Salzburg were discovered and directed to the damaged vessel's location.

The DAT is a low-cost and effective satellite transmitter designed for fishermen, developed jointly by the isro and the ICG. The DAT gadget sends distress signals to search and rescue agencies via the INSAT satellite network. In the event of an emergency, the user may choose a distress message (boat sinking/medical assistance/fire/other crises). The DAT then combines the message with the boat's position (based on GPS) and broadcasts it every few minutes until it is manually shut off or the battery runs out.
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ISRO DAT

Kailas Ashwin Sathish

09/10/2021 12:14 PM