The Indian Coast Guard has spotted at least 12 fishing boats and six merchant vessels that have yet to disembark. Officers said the boats and ships were between Fraserganj and Haldia.

Coast Guard planes hovered over parts of the Bay of Bengal, monitoring and spotting ships far from shore, in preparation for Cyclone Yaas. The storm is expected to make landfall on May 26 on the Odisha-Bengal coast.

The Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force established separate control rooms on Sunday to coordinate with the state government.

Senior Coast Guard officers said they were sending alerts from Dornier helicopters and the Haldia Radar Operation Station to the 12 fishing boats and six merchant ships asking them to return to shore.

“Merchant ships. It’s the Indian Coast Guard. There is a weather alert from IMD (Indian Meteorological Department). A deep low has formed over the center of the Bay of Bengal and is moving north, ”officers on the plane continued to carry the message to boats and ships.

“It’s likely to turn into a cyclonic storm. It will hit the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal. All merchant vessels operating in the area and at anchor are urged to exercise caution and take the necessary precautions. “

Officials said that in addition to the Dornier helicopters, at least six vessels were at sea sending alerts to fishing boats, trawlers and other vessels along the Bengal coast between Digha and Frasergunj.

“We have prepared disaster relief teams for action. The deployment of these teams is being finalized in consultation with the district magistrates, ”said a senior coast guard officer.

The navy brought in two deep-sea diving teams and five flood relief teams from Visakhapatnam, the eastern naval headquarters. Each dive team consists of five divers trained in underwater rescue operations. Flood relief teams will help the state government remove fallen trees or repair embankments urgently.

“We are in contact with Nabanna and teams will be deployed to Sagar, Digha and Diamond Harbor Islands, following requests from the state government,” said a senior naval officer.

“Four ships loaded with relief supplies and medical teams have been prepared at Visakhapatnam for post-cyclone relief.”

Along with this, the Navy kept helicopters and long-range planes ready in Visakhapatnam and Chennai. Officials said they had been kept “on hold” for an aerial investigation and emergency evacuation.

The Navy set up a cyclone control room at INS Netaji Subhas, the Calcutta Naval Base, to monitor the cyclone and its aftermath along the Bengal coast.

The air force on Sunday airlifted more than 300 members of the National Disaster Response Force from Patna and Varanasi and 21 tons of material for relief operations. Senior officers said nine planes, including three C-130s and two Dorniers, were ready to respond to any emergency calls for relief and rescue operations.