Muscat: Eleven Indian crew members have been rescued from Mechanised Sailing Vessel Virat 1 after the vessel suffered an engine failure off the coast of Oman, while efforts are underway to evacuate the remaining three crew members, the Indian Embassy in Oman said on Sunday.
According to the embassy, 11 of the 14 crew members onboard MSC Virat 1 were rescued and taken aboard MV Jabal Ali 9.
In a post shared on X, the Indian Embassy in Oman said, “In a closely coordinated and ongoing rescue operation at sea, 11 of the 14 crew members of MSC Virat 1 have been rescued and taken onboard by MV Jabal Ali 9. The rescue operation of the remaining members will complete shortly.”
Earlier on Sunday, the embassy said the Indian-flagged Mechanised Sailing Vessel Virat 1 had developed an engine failure and a rescue operation was launched to evacuate the crew members.
“It has emerged that the vessel experienced an engine failure, and the crew eventually transferred safely to a liferaft. Rescue operation is presently underway through ships in vicinity, under coordination of Omani authorities,” the embassy posted on X.
The incident comes amid a series of recent incidents involving commercial vessels carrying Indian crew members in the Gulf of Oman.
Following earlier incidents, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks to lodge India’s strong protest against continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian seafarers in the Gulf of Oman.
The MEA said the attacks were “unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce” in the sensitive region.
“A strong protest was lodged with him regarding the continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman, which have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of three Indian lives,” the MEA said in a statement.
“The Ministry once again conveyed its deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping. Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time,” it added.
The MEA requested the US Charge d’Affaires to convey India’s concerns to US authorities and ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent further loss of civilian lives.
This was the second time in recent days that the US official was summoned by the MEA over attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf of Oman.
Earlier on Wednesday, India had summoned the US Charge d’Affaires to register a “strong protest” over attacks on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman, including the ship Settebello, where three Indian seafarers were killed.
On Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Muscat said that all 20 Indian crew members onboard MT Jalveer were rescued with the support of Omani authorities.
On Wednesday, an attack was reported on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman. Of the 24 Indian crew members onboard, 21 were rescued while three others died.
The first incident involved MT Marivex on June 8, when a fire broke out onboard the vessel carrying 24 Indian seafarers south of the Strait of Hormuz.
With IANS inputs