In a highly alarming maritime incident, a commercial vessel carrying Indian mariners reportedly sank in the deep waters off the Oman coast. There were 14 Indian crew members on board the ill-fated ship. At present, a high-stakes emergency rescue operation is underway through the joint, coordinated efforts of the Indian Navy, the United States Navy, and nearby commercial merchant vessels.
It was the US Navy that first detected the distress situation and promptly alerted the Indian Navy along with other regional coastal authorities. Reports indicate that the incident transpired during the early hours of June 14, approximately 80 nautical miles east of Ras Al Hadd, Oman. Upon intercepting an urgent distress transmission from the vessel’s crew, the US Navy immediately sounded an alert to regional coastal administrators to launch a rapid rescue mobilization. “Information has been received about the sinking of a vessel that departed with 14 Indian crew members off the Oman coast. Preliminary inputs suggest an engine failure might be the cause. The crew has been safely shifted to a life raft. Rescue operations are progressing via nearby vessels in coordination with Omani authorities,” the Indian Embassy in Muscat stated in an official post on X. A US Navy P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, which was conducting routine surveillance in the sector, arrived over the site and successfully deployed an emergency life raft near the sinking dhow. The aircraft crew closely monitored the safe evacuation of the stranded mariners into the raft. Against the backdrop of volatile geopolitical tensions plaguing the Oman coast and the Strait of Hormuz over the past few days, the expatriate community and maritime organizations are viewing this latest accident with profound concern.
Earlier this week, citing violations of international sanctions against Iran, the US Navy had launched targeted military strikes on three separate commercial vessels navigating the Omani coastline. Tragically, a missile strike on one of these vessels, the ‘MT Settabello’, resulted in the deaths of three Indian sailors. Responding strongly to the casualty, India summoned the US Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi to register a formal diplomatic protest and convey its severe objections over the operational protocols. Concurrently, reports have emerged regarding another tragedy on June 11, where a Malayali sailor named Nishanth Uyirthanathan died on board the vessel ‘MT Celestial’ due to a critical lack of timely medical access. The ship’s captain had subsequently released an emotional video message pleading with international agencies to help repatriate the deceased mariner’s body to his homeland. With the escalating West Asian geopolitical crisis turning strategic shipping corridors highly perilous, calls are intensifying from all quarters for the Indian central government to step up emergency diplomatic and naval interventions to ensure the safety of Indian seafarers.
ലഘു വിവരണം
ഒമാൻ തീരത്ത് റാസ് അൽ ഹദ്ദിന് കിഴക്ക് 14 ഇന്ത്യൻ നാവികരുമായി പോയ ചരക്കുകപ്പൽ എഞ്ചിൻ തകരാറിനെ തുടർന്ന് കടലിൽ മുങ്ങി. യുഎസ് നേവിയുടെയും ഇന്ത്യൻ നേവിയുടെയും സമീപത്തുണ്ടായിരുന്ന കപ്പലുകളുടെയും സംയുക്ത ഇടപെടലിൽ ജീവനക്കാരെ സുരക്ഷിതമായി ലൈഫ് റാഫ്റ്റിലേക്ക് മാറ്റി. ഒമാൻ തീരത്തും ഹോർമുസ് കടലിടുക്കിലും യുഎസ് നടത്തിയ മിസൈൽ ആക്രമണത്തിൽ മൂന്ന് ഇന്ത്യൻ നാവികർ കൊല്ലപ്പെടുകയും മറ്റൊരു കപ്പലിൽ മലയാളി നാവികൻ ചികിത്സ കിട്ടാതെ മരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്ത സംഭവങ്ങൾക്ക് തൊട്ടുപിന്നാലെയാണ് ഈ അപകടം.
(With inputs from etv)
For more details: Navamalayalam.com