By Quaid Najmi Raigad (Maharashtra) August 18 : A couple of Australians with no crew owned speedboat with some of the most sophisticated weaponsfloating in the Arabian Sea for 52 days — washed up at Harihareshwar Beach in Raigad coastal district, sounding alarms on Thursday, one day before of the huge ‘dahihandi celebrations.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde swiftly ordered an investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has tentatively ruled out any terror-related motives however, concerns of coastal and maritime security are being discussed.
The incident rekindled terrorizing memories of the 1993 Mumbai terror attacks in which massive quantities of ammunition, arms and explosives were shadily loaded at tiny ports or beaches on the Raigad coast.
The Abu Dhabi-based Neptune P2P Group said on Thursday evening that they had provided security for private use to the vessel “MY Ladyhan’ in June, that was damaged in the monsoon in the Arabian Sea and the Captain declared an emergency.
The suspicious speed-boat was discovered by a local fishing community on Thursday morning , causing an alarm in the quiet coastal village and alerting the police in the area who went there.
A quick search and subsequent thorough investigations revealed the truth of the speedboat, which is believed to be belonging to an Australian couple the government later said in the evening.
Fadnavis informed the legislators that the speedboat named ‘Ladyhaan’ , was operated by an Australian woman named Hannah Laundergun and her husband James Horbert was sailing it.
He said that Raigad Police have recovered 3 AK-47 guns and a few pounds of ammunition that was seized from the speedboat.
The Deputy Chief Minister also stated that the speedboat was scheduled to travel between Oman to Europe but on the 26th of June about 10 a.m.it experienced an engine malfunction in an unidentified location in the ocean.
The crew of the vessel contacted for assistance, and within 3 hours the crew was contacted by an Korean warship in the area was able to pick the vessel crew up and took the crew off in Oman.
Due to the rough waters the Australian couple were unable to organize to tow the vessel and after being adrift for seven months in the rough Arabian Sea waters, it finally made it to Harihareshwar Beach on Thursday.
“The matter is being investigated by the Raigad Police and Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad and in the light of recent incidents, police have been on alert” Fadnavis said.Fadnavis.
A question that is always asked is how the sophisticated weapons and ammunition got on the boat, whether they belonged to the crew or owner or not, what was the purpose of sailing with these weapons, particularly because there are important Indian offshore facilities, such as the Mumbai High Fields, or whether the weapons were disposed of on the speedboat after it was drifted and lost in the seas at high tide.
It is also unclear what the purported Australian owners, along with another person who’s identity or nationality is unknown, had not informed the Indian coast guard, maritime or naval authorities of their speedboat, which was floating in the Arabian Sea for at least 52 days, which could pose an imminent maritime risk.
In addition, the state government has declared the state government to issue a high-alert in Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Pune and other places to ensure safety in anticipation of the celebrations on Friday.
The Neptune P2P Group said while the crew was rescued, the boat was not able to be salvaged due the extreme weather conditions and the boat was believed to be to be sinking until this morning when the company was informed that it was washed ashore in India (Raigad).
“Neptune P2P Group is in contact with the owner of the vessel as well as Indian as well as UK authorities to define the proper procedures for recovery of the vessel as well as controlled objects,” said the company.
(Quaid Najmi can be contacted via q.najmi@ians.in)
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