Indian killed in tanker attack off Oman coast

An Indian national was killed on Monday when an explosive-laden unmanned boat struck an oil tanker off the coast of Muscat Governorate, according to reports.

“The Maritime Security Centre reported that the oil tanker MKD VYOM was attacked by an unmanned boat 52 nautical miles off the coast of Muscat Governorate,” Oman’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

It said that the attack resulted in a fire and explosion in the engine room and the death of one crew member. The remaining 21 crew members were evacuated.

The ministry did not identify the nationality of the deceased, but local media reported that the victim was an Indian crew member of the tanker.

“The attack triggered a fire and explosion within the main engine room, resulting in the fatality of one crew member of Indian nationality,” State-run Oman News Agency reported.

In coordination with the Maritime Security Centre, the tanker’s complement of 21 crew members — 16 Indian nationals, four Bangladeshi nationals, and one Ukrainian national — was evacuated via the commercial vessel MV SAND, which flies the flag of the Republic of Panama, it said.