An oil tanker, named ‘Prestige Falcon,’ carrying 16 crew members capsized off the coast of Oman. The crew of the oil tanker included 13 Indians and three Sri Lankans, as confirmed by Oman’s maritime security centre on Tuesday. The vessel capsized 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah, near the Omani port of Duqm, on Monday.
The vessel was en route to Yemen’s Aden Port when the incident occurred. Search and rescue operations are ongoing to locate the missing crew members.
According to the reports, the ‘Prestige Falcon’ remains submerged and inverted. However, there has been no confirmation regarding the vessel’s stabilization or whether oil or oil products are leaking into the sea, as per a statement from Oman’s maritime security centre to Reuters.
The ‘Prestige Falcon’ is a 117-meter-long oil products tanker, built in 2007, typically used for short voyages.
Duqm Port, located on Oman’s southwest coast, plays a crucial role in the country’s oil and gas industry. It is a major hub for oil and gas mining projects and houses a significant oil refinery within its vast industrial zone, which is considered Oman’s largest economic project.