New Delhi, June 8: Amid fresh escalation in conflict in West Asia, a foreign-flagged oil tanker, with 24 Indian seafarers, today reported a fire incident on board the vessel while it was near the coast of Oman.
Initial information suggests that the seafarers on board the vessel, named ‘Marivex’ are safe, according a senior official fo the Indian Shipping Ministry.
Marivex was the waters off the east coast of Oman, away from the Strait of Hormuz area, and South of the Gulf of Oman, the most troubled parts of the maritime zone.
According to Director in the Shipping Ministry Opesh Kumar Sharma, the cause of the fire is not known yet and is being looked into.
As per preliminary information, the tanker was not carrying any cargo.
Sharma said that the Shipping Ministry is in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and the vessel’s owner to gather more information about the incident.
According to vessel tracking data from MarineTraffic, Marivex was sailing from India’s Karwar toto Oman’s Duqm.
The region saw fresh escalation after Israel launched new air attacks on Iran this morning. (BVI)
