An Indian Navy submarine collided with the fishing vessel Marthoma about 70 nautical miles northwest of Goa on November 21, 2024. The vessel, which had 13 crew members aboard, resulted in 11 being rescued, but two crew members remain missing. The Indian Navy, along with the Coast Guard, has launched an extensive search operation to locate the missing fishermen. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident and noted that additional resources have been deployed to assist in the ongoing rescue efforts.
The collision occurred while the naval submarine was transiting along the west coast. Following the incident, a coordinated Search and Rescue operation was initiated, with six ships and aircraft mobilized to aid the effort. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai is overseeing the operation, with the Coast Guard contributing additional assets to enhance the search.
The cause of the collision is still under investigation, and the Indian Navy has not yet provided further details on the condition of the missing crew members or the status of the fishing vessel. In a related exercise, the Indian Navy successfully conducted a phase of Sea Vigil-24 in Kolkata, simulating a VVIP hostage crisis and demonstrating strong inter-agency cooperation in handling such emergencies.