Crew of capsized oil tanker off Oman still missing, maritime centre says

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DUBAI (Reuters) -The 16-strong crew of a Comoros-flagged oil tanker that capsized off Oman are still missing, the country’s maritime security centre said on Tuesday, a day after the sinking was reported.

The crew of “Prestige Falcon” comprised 13 Indian nationals and three Sri Lankans, the Omani centre said in a post on the social media platform X.

Separately, the centre told Reuters that the vessel remains “submerged, inverted”. It did not confirm whether the vessel had stabilised or whether oil or oil products were leaking into the sea.

Shipping data by LSEG had shown the tanker was heading to the Yemeni port of Aden and capsized off Oman’s major industrial port of Duqm.

The vessel is a 117-metre long oil products tanker built in 2007, the shipping data showed. Such small tankers are typically used for short coastal voyages.

Omani authorities conducted a search-and-rescue operation at the scene in coordination with maritime authorities, Oman’s state news agency reported late on Monday.

The port of Duqm is located on Oman’s southwest coast, close to the sultanate’s major oil and gas mining projects, including a major oil refinery that forms part of Duqm’s vast industrial zone, Oman’s biggest single economic project.

(Reporting by Catherine Cartier, Jonathan Saul, Andrew Mills and Ahmed Elimam; Writing by Andrew Mills and Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Gareth Jones)