In a tragic incident as a cascading effect of the escalating geopolitical fire in West Asia, an India-flagged commercial vessel was attacked by unidentified explosives near the Strait of Hormuz. It is said to be either a drone or missile attack. Off the coast of Oman, the explosive, with its massive attack, destroyed the engine of the vessel and inflicted catastrophic impact on the vessel. The incident triggered panic among the crew members who sent an immediate distress call. The attack reflects the soaring scale of the US-Iran conflict with larger regional repercussions and at the cost of innocent lives.
The cargo vessel was meant to reach Gujarat coast and was sailing through the conflict-ridden and highly precarious maritime chokepoint Strait of Hormuz. The incident occurred during the early hours in the dark, making the escape and rescue much more difficult. The sea farmers sent an emergency breathless call. “We are unable to lower the lifeboats! Everything is on fire”, the leaked audio clip resonated the intensity of the attack through the frightened voice of the crew members.
As per the emergency radio transmission, the explosives attacked the lower decks of the vessel and breached the engine room hull. As a result, the water swiftly entered the ship, causing it to sink rapidly. Also, the toxic fire rapidly engulfed the upper decks as well and encapsulated the entire vessel with thick dark smoke, making escape much more difficult. The heat and the fire cut the access to primary muster stations, thus life-boat mechanisms were non-functional.
Thus, the emergency distress call was sent to regional maritime hubs, which read as, “ATTACK ON VESSEL OFF COAST OF OMAN… SEEKING URGENT SUPPORT… VESSEL IS SINKING… HOLE IN ENGINE ROOM”. Immediately, the Coast Guard of Oman came to rescue. The Omani authorities successfully pulled out the Indian seafarers and safely evacuated them to the Dibba Port in Oman. All crew members are safe and have their mandatory travel and identification documents, which have been accessed by the consular offices to ensure their safe return.
