More than 562 Indian sailors have been stranded for 107 days on 13 Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. This situation has arisen due to heightened regional tensions that have disrupted normal maritime operations since hostilities began between the United States and Iran on February 28. Currently, 329 sailors are located west of the Strait of Hormuz, while 233 are in the Gulf of Oman, enduring prolonged uncertainty at sea.
Tragically, one sailor, Nishant Urthanathan, serving on the MT Celestial, passed away after falling ill while the vessel remained stranded at the Port of Duqm. The Indian Embassy in Muscat is in touch with his family and the crew, working diligently to repatriate his remains to India. Coordination is ongoing with the ship’s management and relevant authorities to facilitate this process.
In another incident, the Indian-flagged vessel Virat 1 experienced engine failure off the coast of Oman, prompting the crew of 14 to evacuate onto life rafts. Search and rescue operations are currently underway in collaboration with Omani authorities and nearby vessels. Efforts are being made to address the welfare of the stranded crews and resolve individual vessel incidents, but the situation remains unresolved.
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