Kochi: The Indian Navy successfully recovered an unexplored missile warhead from the crude oil tanker MT Olympic Life.
The tanker, flying the Marshall Islands flag, was on passage from Fujairah, UAE, to Kochi on May 26 this year, when it reported an explosion in its hull, while off the coast of Oman. There were no Indian seafarers on board.
The vessel reported the presence of an unexploded ordnance as it continued its transit towards Kochi, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement.
“On receipt of information through the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), the Indian Navy initiated a coordinated response. Kochi based Southern Naval Command deployed a specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team for a detailed assessment. The team confirmed that a projectile had penetrated the vessel’s hull, traversed multiple structural compartments and was lodged inside a fuel tank,” the statement said.
The EOD team adopted a deliberate and phased approach to ensure the safety of the ship, its crew and surrounding port infrastructure, in view of the risks associated with the presence of an unexploded missile warhead inside a fuel storage compartment.
“After completion of prescribed safety procedures, the EOD team employed advanced diagnostic methods to identify and isolate the detonation mechanism before carrying out the safe extraction of the warhead along with the associated debris,” the MoD said.
The recovered ordnance has been transported to a secure facility for safe stowage and detailed examination, it added.
“This meticulously planned and executed high-risk operation, conducted over an extended duration, underscores the Indian Navy’s proficiency in explosive ordnance disposal, technical expertise and effective inter-agency coordination in addressing complex maritime contingencies,” the statement said.
The Indian Navy’s prompt response, to an emergency at sea, irrespective of the nationality of the crew or the ownership of MT Olympic Life, reaffirms its role as a responsible maritime force dedicated to global maritime safety and a trusted and preferred security partner in the region, it added.
