New Delhi, March 2. An unmanned drone boat hit an oil tanker off the coast of Oman. The oil tanker caught fire after the collision. All crew members on board the tanker were evacuated, but one Indian crew member died. Officials confirmed this on Monday.
The Sultanate of Oman’s Maritime Security Center said the incident occurred on Saturday (March 1) about 52 nautical miles north-west of Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat Governorate. The tanker, identified as MKD VYOM, was flying the flag of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. It was carrying approximately 59,463 metric tons of cargo at the time of the attack.
According to officials, the driverless ship collided with the tanker, causing a fire and explosion in the main engine room. One crew member, an Indian national, died in the incident.
There were 21 crew members on board the ship including 16 Indians.
There were 21 crew members on board, including one Ukrainian, four Bangladeshis and 16 Indians. All survivors were evacuated by the merchant ship MV SAND, which operates under the Panamanian flag, and did so in cooperation with the Maritime Security Center.
The Royal Navy of Oman has deployed a ship to keep an eye on the ill-fated tanker and is issuing navigational warnings to ships passing through the area. However, officials have not yet revealed who was behind the attack.
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