July 17, Colombo (LNW): Sixteen crew members, including three Sri Lankan nationals, are missing after their Comorian-flagged oil tanker capsized off the coast of Oman, the sultanate’s Maritime Security Centre (MSC) reported on Tuesday.
The MSC, which operates under the Omani Defence Ministry, announced on social media platform X that the “Comoros-flagged oil tanker capsized” southeast of Ras Madrakah in the country’s center.
Search and rescue operations are currently underway, though further details have not been provided.
The vessel, identified as the Prestige Falcon, had 16 crew members on board, including 13 Indian nationals and three Sri Lankans. The MSC confirmed, “The crew of the ship are still missing.”
The Prestige Falcon was en route to the Yemeni port city of Aden, according to the ship tracking service MarineTraffic. The tanker, built in 2007, sails under the flag of the Comoros.
Houthi militants, who have controlled parts of Yemen since 2014, have been targeting ships bound for Israeli ports or those owned by Israeli companies in the Red and Arabian seas and Indian Ocean for months, citing retaliation for Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
As a result, major shipping companies have been avoiding this route and instead opting for the much longer journey around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
