Stepping up its efforts to trace the missing Lakshadweep-bound cargo vessel with a seven-member crew, the Coast Guard has deployed a second ship for search operations, official sources said.Coast Guard ship Savithri Bai Phule has commenced sail from Mangalore port on the sea route to Kalpeni island, conducting search operations for the cargo vessel M S V Lakshadweep, sources said. “We are making all efforts to trace the vessel. Originally we had planned to fly an aircraft in the evening, but the sortie was postponed owing to inclement weather.” Earlier in the morning, a Coast Guard aircraft from Kochi had made a sortie to trace the missing cargo vessel.Coast Guard ship Kasturba Gandhi, which was pressed into search operation on Nov 5 after the vessel was reported missing, is still at the sea. However, no information has been received about the missing vessel either from the Coast Guard aircraft or from ship Kasturba Gandhi so far, sources said. All neighbouring islands have been contacted to know whether the vessel had reached there. M S V Lakshadweep, belonging to Lakshadweep Cooperative Marketing Federation, had left Mangalore port for Kalpeni island on November 3.
