(Representative image)
India-flagged mechanised sailing vessel (MSV) Virat 1 sank off the coast of Oman on Sunday after suffering a mechanical failure, prompting a major rescue operation involving Omani authorities, the US navy and nearby commercial vessels.The incident occurred around 80 nautical miles east of Ras Al Hadd, Oman, on the morning of June 14. Virat 1, which had 14 Indian crew members on board, reportedly experienced an engine failure before beginning to take on water and eventually sink. After receiving information that the vessel was in distress, the US Navy alerted shore authorities and launched an emergency response. A US Navy P-8 maritime patrol aircraft was deployed to the area, where it dropped a life raft near the vessel and monitored the evacuation of the crew, as reported by ANI.The US Navy also coordinated assistance from MV Jabal Ali 9, a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged merchant vessel operating nearby. The crew members subsequently transferred to the life raft as Virat 1 began sinking.Confirming the incident, the Indian Embassy in Muscat said: “The Mission has learnt of an incident involving an Indian Flagged Mechanised Sailing Vessel Virat 1, off the coast of Oman, reportedly embarked with 14 Indian crew. Search and Rescue is being coordinated with the Omani authorities and vessels in vicinity of the incident.”In a later update, the embassy said: “It has emerged that the vessel experienced an engine failure, and the crew eventually transferred safely to a life raft. Rescue operation is presently underway through ships in vicinity, under coordination of Omani authorities.”
