New Delhi/Muscat: India has strongly condemned the attack on an Indian-flagged cargo vessel off the coast of Oman.
The ship, identified by shipping registries as a mechanised cargo carrier operating out of Gujarat, was transiting near the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz when it was targeted by a drone or missile.
It suffered severe damage following which the 24-member Indian crew abandoned ship. They were rescued in a coordinated mission by the Oman Coast Guard and regional naval monitoring assets.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made it clear that while they are grateful for the swift lifelines thrown by the Omani government, the ongoing targeting of non-combatant sailors must stop.
“The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman is entirely unacceptable,” an MEA official spokesperson stated in a press briefing.
“We deeply deplore the fact that commercial shipping routes and innocent civilian mariners continue to be caught in the crossfire of regional conflicts. Endangering civilian crews and impeding freedom of navigation violates international maritime law and must be avoided by all parties,” it added.
The projectile ripped into the ship’s engine room, sparking a catastrophic inferno and sending a wave of panic through the maritime community.
The Indian seafarers on board found themselves trapped in a literal floating furnace, and sent out desperate, breathless SOS messages as their ship rapidly took on water, as reported by Repu
blic TV.
“We are unable to lower the lifeboats! Everything is on fire,” were the terrifying, frantic words captured in a series of leaked audio clips from the cargo vessel.
An explosion rocked the lower decks of the ship, creating a breach in the engine room hull, as per distress logs and emergency radio transmissions,
Water rushed into the engine room through a major hull breach, causing the ship to lose propulsion and rapidly list. The explosion also ruptured internal fuel lines, igniting a massive, toxic fire that quickly choked the upper decks and companionways with thick smoke.
Access to primary muster stations was cut-off due to the intense heat and wrapping flames cut off. This rendered standard lifeboat-lowering mechanisms completely inoperable.
The crew can be heard shouting over the deafening roar of alarms and crackling flames, reporting that the fire was spreading too fast to contain and that they were actively seeking alternative ways to abandon the sinking hull.
With the vessel losing stability and sinking by the stern, the crew transmitted a final, urgent distress signal to regional maritime hubs: “ATTACK ON VESSEL OFF COAST OF OMAN… SEEKING URGENT SUPPORT… VESSEL IS SINKING… HOLE IN ENGINE ROOM.”
Rescuers initiated a high-stakes, race-against-the-clock emergency mission.
Search-and-rescue vessels managed to navigate through dark, hazardous waters near the northern Omani coastline, just as the crew made a miraculous, last-ditch escape from the burning superstructure.
Omani authorities successfully pulled the Indian sailors from the water and life rafts, evacuating them to safety at Dibba Port in Oman, it was reported.
All crew members survived the ordeal despite the severity of the fire and the initial panic. Maritime officials confirmed that the sailors are safe and have their vital travel and identification documents secured by local consular teams.
No group has officially claimed responsibility for the strike, even as formal investigations into the exact origin of the missile or drone were launched by Omani and international naval coalitions.