On Thursday, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the 22 crew members of a Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker which had been hit by a projectile while in drift mode at the port, were evacuated and all 19 were Indian seafarers.
While moored off Mina Saqr, the tanker, MT Dominica Prosperity, was attacked. Following the incident, the UAE Coast Guard launched an evacuation operation and safely brought all crew members to safety.
No injury was reported among the crew, which included 19 Indian nationals on the ship, Sonowal said.
Staff were immediately evacuated after the incident after the projectile attack was made, the Union said on social media platform X.
The Indian seafarers on board the Liberia-flagged cruise ship MT Dominica Prosperity, which was in the process of drifting off Mina Saqr on Nov 11, was targeted in a projectile attack, Sonowal said.
The whole of 22-man crew was rescued safely by UAE’s Coast Guard and all 19 Indians were in full safe, he told the reporters.
Details of the shooting and who fired it were not immediately known. More information on the incident is expected.
All crew members were evacuated and heads held high, authorities said that they’d look into the incident which allowed the crude oil tanker to be attacked.
The incident has raised concerns regarding the safety of commercial vessels and seafarers in the area, and authorities are monitoring the situation.