Oil tanker capsizes off Oman; 8 Indians among 9 crew members rescued

PTC News Desk: According to accounts, nine of the sixteen crew members who vanished after an oil tanker sank off the coast of Oman have been saved.

Eight of the nine members are Indian, while one is Sri Lankan, according to sources. Twenty-five nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah, close to the port town of Duqn in Oman, the oil tanker MT Falcon Prestige, flying the flag of Comoros, overturned, killing all of its crew. There were sixteen crew members, including three citizens of Sri Lanka.

A Comoros flagged oil tanker capsized 25 NM southeast of Ras Madrakah. SAR Ops initiated with the relevant authorities. #MaritimeSecurityCentre

— مركز الأمن البحري| MARITIME SECURITY CENTRE (@OMAN_MSC) July 15, 2024

Situated near the Sultanate’s main oil and gas mining complexes, including a sizable oil refinery that is a part of Duqm’s expansive industrial zone—Oman’s largest single economic project—is the port of Duqm, which is situated on the country’s southwest coast.

The maritime website marinetraffic.com states that the oil tanker was sailing towards the port city of Aden in Yemen.

Updates regarding the recent capsizing incident of the Comoros flagged oil tanker southeast of Ras Madrakah pic.twitter.com/PxVLxlTQGD

— مركز الأمن البحري| MARITIME SECURITY CENTRE (@OMAN_MSC) July 16, 2024

On July 15, at around ten o’clock at night, the overturned oil tanker off the coast of Oman sent out a distress call, according to sources.

The Oman Maritime Security Centre is in charge of organizing the search and rescue (SAR) effort, and the Indian Navy is carrying out operations in the area, according to the Indian Embassy, which maintains continuous communication with Omani authorities.

According to news agency ANI, the Indian Navy’s cruiser INS Teg has been deployed with the Omani ships and crew, as well as the maritime surveillance plane P-8I. According to LSEG’s shipping records, the vessel is a 2007-built oil products tanker measuring 117 meters in length.

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