A delay in loading cargo at Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port may have been a life-saving stroke of fortune for 56 passengers of the ill-fated tourist ferry that sank on December 20. The delay enabled Captain Anmol Shrivastava, a ship pilot, to be in close proximity to the site of the accident, where he performed a daring rescue using his small boat with a capacity of just 12 people.
The ferry, ‘Neel Kamal’, was en route to Elephanta Island from the Gateway of India when it capsized following a collision with an Indian Navy speedboat that had lost control. Carrying over 100 passengers, the ferry sank within minutes, resulting in 14 fatalities. The toll could have been much higher had it not been for Captain Shrivastava’s swift response.
Captain Shrivastava, tasked with guiding large cargo ships in and out of the port, was scheduled to escort a vessel at 1:45 pm on the day of the incident. However, a delay in cargo loading postponed his duty by an hour. On his return to the port after completing the escort, he received an SOS call about the sinking ferry.
“We realised we could reach the location within five minutes and immediately headed there at full speed,” Shrivastava recounted.
When he arrived, the ferry had nearly sunk, leaving passengers clinging desperately to the wreckage. Among them were parents holding infants above the water, striving to keep them safe.
Acting decisively, Shrivastava and his crew deployed lifebuoys, life jackets, and steel ladders to bring survivors aboard. “People were in shock and panicked. Everyone wanted to get in, but we prioritised the children, then elderly women, and then the men,” he explained.
Despite his boat’s 12-person capacity, Shrivastava used his maritime expertise to ensure buoyancy and took 57 survivors on board. Tragically, a seven-year-old boy who was rescued did not survive despite CPR efforts by Shrivastava and German tourists.
The accident claimed 14 lives, with one person still missing. Reflecting on the rescue, Shrivastava said, “As a mariner, I am trained to follow the principles of SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea). It was destiny that we were near the site of the accident.”
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) has announced plans to honour Captain Shrivastava on Republic Day for his extraordinary bravery and dedication to saving lives in the face of a harrowing maritime disaster.
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