Oman rescues 9 crew members from capsized oil tanker; 6 still missing

Shafaq News/ Oman’s Maritime Security Center announced, on Wednesday, the rescue of nine out of 16 crew members from an oil tanker that capsized off the coast of the Sultanate earlier this week.

The body of one crew member was recovered, while efforts continue to locate the six still missing.

The tanker, named Prestige Falcon and flying the Comoros flag, overturned on Monday off the Omani coast. The crew comprised 13 Indian nationals and three Sri Lankans, according to the Maritime Security Center, which is part of Oman’s Ministry of Defence.

The Center announced on X, “The search and rescue operations have successfully found nine crew members from the oil tanker Prestige Falcon alive, and one deceased.”

The statement further mentioned, “Search and rescue efforts for the remaining crew members are still ongoing.”

A warship from the Indian Navy rescued the nine survivors after an all-night search around the tanker’s last known location off the coast of Duqm, a coastal province in Oman.

The Indian Navy, in a statement provided to AFP, said the INS Teg warship was diverted from its operations to assist in the search and rescue mission, which faced challenges from "rough seas and strong winds."

The statement added that the warship rescued eight Indian nationals and one Sri Lankan in “challenging weather conditions.”

A long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, the P-8I, is also assisting in the ongoing search for the six missing crew members, according to the Indian Navy.

The tanker was en route to the Yemeni port city of Aden, as indicated by the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic. The cause of the incident has not yet been disclosed by the Maritime Security Center.

It remains unclear if the tanker was loaded with oil at the time of the incident or if there has been any oil spillage.