Capsized Oil Tanker: 9 including 8 Indians, of 16 Crew Rescued
NEW DELHI, July 17: Indian Navy’s warship INS Teg has rescued nine crew members, including eight Indians, out of 16, who went missing after an oil tanker capsized off the coast of Oman. The navy warship has been deployed for Search and Rescue assistance for the capsized oil tanker.
While 8 rescued sailors were Indians, the other one is from Sri Lanka. The tanker in all had 16 crew members including 13 from India. The entire crew of MT Falcon Prestige, a Comoros-flagged oil tanker capsized 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah near the port town of Duqm in Oman. Three Sri Lankan nationals were among the 16 crew members.
The operations are being conducted in challenging weather conditions as the area is experiencing rough seas and strong winds. Navy’s Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft P8I is also assisting in the search for survivors.
The port of Duqm is located on Oman’s southwest coast, close to the Sultanate’s major oil and gas mining projects, including a major oil refinery that forms part of Duqm’s vast industrial zone, Oman’s biggest single economic project.
The oil tanker was headed for the Yemeni port city of Aden, according to shipping website marinetraffic.com. The capsized oil tanker transmitted a distress call around 10 pm on July 15 off the coast of Oman, sources said.
The Indian Embassy said it is in constant touch with the Omani authorities and the search and rescue (SAR) operation was being coordinated by the Oman Maritime Security Centre and the Indian Navy was conducting operations in the region.
The vessel MT Falcon Prestige is a 117-metre-long oil products tanker built in 2007, LSEG’s shipping data showed.
(Manas Dasgupta)
