13 Indians, 3 Sri Lankans missing after oil tanker capsizes off Oman
An oil tanker capsized off the coast of Oman on Monday. All 16 crew members, including 13 Indians, have gone missing. Oman’s Maritime Security Center said the ship was a Comoros-flagged oil tanker. It capsized about 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madarka near the port city of Duqm. The Maritime Security Center said search and rescue operations were underway to rescue the missing crew members.
It also said the Comoros-flagged oil tanker was named Prestige Falcon. It had 16 crew members on board, including 13 Indians and three Sri Lankan nationals. The center further told Reuters that the ship was ‘submerged in the water and upside down’. However, the center did not confirm whether the ship was leaking oil or oil products into the sea or whether the ship had become stationary after capsizing.
Shipping data from LSEG showed that the tanker was headed to Yemen’s Aden port and capsized near Duqm, Oman’s major industrial port. Shipping data shows the ship is a 117-meter-long oil product tanker built in 2007. Such smaller tankers are usually used for short coastal voyages.
Omani authorities have launched a search and rescue operation at the scene along with maritime officials, Oman’s state news agency reported late Monday.
The port of Duqm is located on Oman’s southwestern coast, close to the sultanate’s major oil and gas mining projects, including a major oil refinery, which is part of the vast industrial zone of Duqm, Oman’s largest single economic project.
