Indian Navy rescues 8 out of 13 Indians onboard capsized vessel off Oman coast

Eight Indians and a Sri Lankan national were rescued by an Indian warship while carrying out a rescue operation to trace the crew members of a Comoros-flagged oil tanker that capsized off the Oman coast, the Indian Navy said on Wednesday night, 17 July.

It said the vessel had capsized about 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah in Oman on 15 July and search and rescue efforts in coordination with Omani authorities are in progress.

The tanker MT Falcon Prestige has a 16-member crew including 13 Indians and three Sri Lankans, Oman's Maritime Security Centre (MSC) said.

It said in a post on X that one crew member was found dead. However, the nationality of the deceased person is not yet known.

"Search and rescue operations have successfully found 10 crew members of the oil tanker Prestige Falcon, nine found alive," it said, adding one crew member was found dead.

The Indian Navy said its mission deployed warship INS Teg, rendering search and rescue assistance for the capsized oil tanker, rescued eight Indian and one Sri Lankan personnel.

The Indian Navy's long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P-8I is also assisting in the search operations.

"The merchant vessel is reported to have had a total of 16 crew, including 13 Indians and three Sri Lankans," the Navy said in a brief statement.

"The search and rescue by Indian and Omani assets is being undertaken in challenging weather conditions as the area is experiencing rough sea and strong winds," it said.

Earlier, Indian government sources said MT Falcon Prestige transmitted a distress call around 2200 hours on 14 July off the coast of Oman.

"Our embassy in Oman is in constant touch with the Omani authorities. A search and rescue operation for the seafarers, coordinated by the Oman Maritime Security Centre, is on," one of the sources said.

It is learnt that the oil tanker was going towards the Yemeni port of Aden and it capsized off Oman's Duqm. It is not known how the tanker capsized.

In a post on X, the Indian embassy in Muscat said it is coordinating with Omani authorities and the Indian Navy for the search and rescue operation for the MT Prestige Falcon.

"Nine crew including 8 Indians have been rescued today by INS Teg. Search for the remaining survivors continues," it said.