The US Navy said it rescued 14 Indian seafarers on Sunday as Virat-1, an Indian-flagged mechanised sailing vessel or dhow, was sinking off the Oman coast following a mechanical failure. The Indian Embassy in Oman said all rescued crew members are “safe and in good health” and were moved to a vessel that is heading to Mumbai.In a post on X, US Central Command said on Sunday, “US naval forces operating in the Middle East supported the rescue of 14 Indian mariners stranded in the Arabian Sea, June 14.” Detailing the rescue operation, US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet reposted a news report about the rescue operation.
Dhow suffered engine snag, crew headed to Mumbai
S Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet reposted a news report about the rescue operation that said “upon receiving a distress call from the stranded sailors, a US Navy P-8 aircraft reached the spot and dropped a search-and-rescue kit that included a life raft, which the 14 mariners boarded”.Official sources said that the US Navy had alerted the shore authorities and Indian Navy that a dhow with Indian sailors was sinking about 80 nautical miles east of Ras AI Hadd off the coast of Oman. “The US Navy P-8 dropped a life raft and monitored the crew boarding it. MV Jabal Ali 9 was requested by the P-8 to render assistance,” a source said.P-8 is an advanced, multi-mission maritime patrol submarine aircraft. As per the report that US Central Command retweeted, “an MH-60S Sea Hawk rescued three others after their life raft capsized in the rough seas. An Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) also responded to the distress call”.In an X post, Indian Embassy in Oman said, “Rescue operation involving Indian flagged MSV Virat-1 has been successfully completed. All 14 crew members have been rescued and are presently onboard Jabal Ali 9 heading to Mumbai.”Earlier in the day, the Indian mission said that the vessel had experienced an engine failure, and the crew were eventually transferred safely to a life raft. The rescue operation was carried out through ships in the vicinity, under coordination of Omani authorities.