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A sinking ship, a sailor’s death due to alleged neglect, and three crew members killed aboard a tanker — a string of separate incidents involving Indian citizens and vessel made for a grim week near the Strait of Hormuz.
The three incidents that unfolded within a span of seven days underscored the dangers of operating in the volatile waters of the Middle East, even as the US and Iran move closer to signing a peace deal.
Indian-flagged merchant vessel, Virat 1, suffered an engine failure on Sunday morning, following which the US Navy rescued 14 Indian sailors on board.
The vessel began sinking about 80 nautical miles east of Ras Al Hadd off the coast of Oman on Sunday morning. The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf region.
The Indian Embassy in Oman said it learnt of an incident involving the Indian flagged mechanised sailing vessel off the coast of Oman, adding that a search and rescue is being coordinated with the Omani authorities.
An Indian national, Nishanth Uirthanathan, 35, died due to medical complications aboard a vessel, MT Celestial, currently docked at Duqm Port in Oman, the Indian Embassy in Muscat said on Sunday.
However, the death drew criticism from the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), which represents Indian seafarers worldwide, with the organisation alleging that the sailor’s death was the result of negligence on the part of the shipowner.
The union said Uirthanathan didn’t receive timely medical help and evacuation was delayed amid “regional tensions”. It also raised questions over the body preservation and demanded investigation into the case.
“Crew is using cold water bottles in a desperate attempt to horrifying and health-risking situation,” the FSUI posted on X, adding that, “FSUI and the captain are urgently demanding body preservation/ repatriation, crew support, and full investigation into the response failures.”
Earlier, three Indian seafarers were confirmed dead after Palau-flagged MT Settebello came under attack by a US aircraft off the coast of Oman.
India condemned the attack on Settebello and the external affairs ministry summoned US charge d’affaires Jason Meeks to register a strong protest over the incident.
The three Indian seafarers were reported missing after Omani armed forces rescued the other 25 crew members, including 21 Indians, of the Palau-flagged vessel.
Two other vessels, MT Marivex and MT Jalveer also came under attack by the US Navy. While MT Marivex, with 24 Indian sailors on board, is linked to Panama-based Arihant Shipping, MT Jalveer is owned by Liberia-based Jal Shipping.
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