Indian Crew Being Evacuated From Vessel Off Oman Coast After Engine Failure

Dubai: The Indian crew on a commercial ship off the coast of Oman was evacuated following an engine failure, the Indian Embassy in Muscat said on Sunday. It was stated that the Indian flagged merchant ship Virat 1 had 14 crew members from India.

The incident took place at a time when tensions in the Gulf region were increasing.

“It turned out that the ship suffered engine failure and the crew was eventually safely transferred to the lifeboat. The rescue operation is currently ongoing through nearby ships under the coordination of Omani authorities,” the Indian Embassy said in a social media post. he said.

Omani coasts witnessed tensions last week when three ships with Indian crews came under US attack in the region. One of them killed three sailors.

India on Friday summoned US chargé d’affaires Jason Meeks for the second time in a week and told him that the American military’s “deadly and lethal” attacks on merchant ships manned by Indian crews off the coast of Oman were “unacceptable” and that they undermined the safety, security and stability of international maritime trade.