More than a day after the search began for the missing crew of a small oil tanker, the Prestige Falcon, that capsized off Oman, the Indian Navy is reporting that it has found nine of the 16 crewmembers alive. The Oman Maritime Security Center confirmed the recovery while also reporting that a tenth crew member had been found deceased. The search is ongoing for six additional crewmembers.
A spokesperson for the Indian Navy said they have faced “challenging weather conditions as the area is experiencing rough seas and strong winds.” Few details were released other than a picture showing a lifeboat. They reported that eight of the individuals that were rescued were Indians and one is from Sri Lanka. There were a total of 13 Indians in the crew of the vessel and three from Sri Lanka.
The tanker Prestige Falcon (7,000 dwt) issued a distress call shortly before midnight local time on July 15 with family members of the crew saying they had heard the vessel was in bad weather and had experienced “issues with the vessel.”
Oman launched a search and rescue effort but reported yesterday that it had been unsuccessful in locating the crew. India’s embassy in Oman reports it offered assistance and the Indian Navy yesterday deployed a long-range reconnaissance aircraft and its warship INS Teg. India reportedly located the capsized tanker yesterday.
The environmental agency in Oman reported earlier today that the vessel remains intact. They said they were monitoring for possible pollution.
The Prestige Falcon was built in 2007 and is currently registered in Comoros. The vessel had departed the UAE and was bound for Yemen when it capsized in the bead weather. Despite various media reports, there is no indication that the vessel was attacked.
