13 Indians among 16 crew missing after oil tanker sinks off Oman coast

PTI, Jul 17, 2024, 11:32 AM IST

Dubai /Muscat: Thirteen Indians are among the 16-member crew of a Comoros-flagged oil tanker that went missing after it capsized off the coast of Oman, the country’s maritime authority said.

The tanker capsized 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah in the Wilayat of Duqm, and a search and rescue operation was activated in coordination with the concerned authorities, Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said in a post on X on Monday.

The crew of ‘Prestige Falcon’ included 13 Indians and 3 Sri Lankans, the centre said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The crew of the ship are still missing,” it said, noting that the search continued.

“Indian Navy’s warship INS Teg has been deployed along with maritime surveillance aircraft P-8I along with the Omani vessels and personnel to carry out search and rescue missions,” reported ANI on Wednesday.

The vessel was headed for the Yemeni port city of Aden, according to the shipping website marinetraffic.com, which said it departed from the port of Hamriya, in Dubai.

Duqm Port is a major hub of Oman’s major oil and gas mining projects.