An Indian cargo vessel, MSV Virat 1, sank approximately 80 nautical miles off Ras Al Hadd, Oman, on Sunday following a catastrophic engine failure, though all 14 crew members were successfully rescued, officials confirmed.
The Indian Embassy in Oman stated that the rescue operation was successfully completed, with all crew members transferred safely to the commercial vessel Jabal Ali 9, which is now en route to Mumbai.
Search and rescue efforts were coordinated between the embassy, Omani authorities, and nearby vessels after the ship’s engine failure forced the crew to abandon the vessel for a life raft, reports Anadolu.
According to the US 5th Fleet, its forces received a distress call at 0700 GMT. A US Navy P-8 aircraft was the first to reach the scene and deployed a search and rescue kit, allowing the mariners to board a life raft.
While the Jabal Ali 9 recovered 11 crew members, an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln rescued the remaining three sailors after their raft capsized in rough seas.
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Michael Murphy also responded to the emergency. India’s Directorate General of Shipping and MarineTraffic data both confirmed that the Indian-flagged vessel has sunk.
The incident occurs amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz following reports of Indian crew members being injured in earlier vessel attacks in the region.
Official sources stated that India summoned the top US diplomat in New Delhi on Friday for the second time in a week to protest these attacks.
On Thursday, the Indian government reported that at least three Indians were killed after US forces targeted vessels off the coast of Oman.
According to the US Central Command, it disabled the Guinea-Bissau-flagged M/T Jalveer and the Palau-flagged tankers M/T Marivex and M/T Settebello this week for attempting to transport Iranian oil.
