Navy Rescues 9 Crew Members, Including 8 Indians, From Capsized Oil Tanker Near Oman – News18

The Indian Navy on Wednesday successfully rescued nine crew members, including eight Indians and one Sri Lankan, during a search and rescue (SAR) operation after a Comorian-flagged oil tanker ‘Prestige Falcon’ capsized off the Oman coast. The warship INS Teg was deployed for the mission.

The sultanate’s Maritime Security Centre (MSC), which is operated by the Omani defence ministry, confirmed that one crew member from the merchant vessel was found deceased, without specifying the nationality.

“Search and rescue operations have successfully found 10 crew members of the oil tanker Prestige Falcon, 9 found alive. Tragically, one crew member was found deceased. The search and rescue operations continue for the remaining members of the vessel’s crew,” Maritime Security Centre shared on X.

The crew of the merchant vessel ‘Prestige Falcon,’ which included 13 Indian nationals and three Sri Lankans, went missing after the ship capsized on Monday southeast of Ras Madrakah, Oman.

The Navy stated that the search and rescue efforts by Indian and Omani assets are being conducted under challenging weather conditions, with the area experiencing rough seas and strong winds.

“Indian Navy’s Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft P8I is also assisting in search for survivors,” it added.

According to MSC, the cause of the capsizing has not yet been specified. In a statement on Tuesday (July 16), the MSC identified the vessel as Prestige Falcon, and said it has 16 crew members on board. As the search continued, they added, “The crew of the ship are still missing.”