Muscat: In a tragic incident, a Comoros-flagged oil tanker with 16 crews including 13 Indians onboard capsized off Oman, the Maritime Security Centre confirmed on social media on Tuesday. The latest development came a day after the country’s maritime security centre reported about sinking of an oil tanker. The crew of “Prestige Falcon” comprised 13 Indian nationals and three Sri Lankans, the Omani centre said in a post on the social media platform X.
Separately, the centre said that the vessel remains “submerged, inverted”. It did not confirm whether the vessel had stabilised or whether oil or oil products were leaking into the sea.
Shipping data by LSEG had shown the tanker was heading to the Yemeni port of Aden and capsized off Oman’s major industrial port of Duqm.
The vessel is a 117-metre-long oil products tanker built in 2007, the shipping data showed. Such small tankers are typically used for short coastal voyages. Omani authorities conducted a search-and-rescue operation at the scene in coordination with maritime authorities, Oman’s state news agency reported late on Monday.
The port of Duqm is located on Oman’s southwest coast, close to the sultanate’s major oil and gas mining projects, including a major oil refinery that forms part of Duqm’s vast industrial zone, Oman’s biggest single economic project.
(With inputs from agency)