New York, Mar 12: An Indian national has reportedly been killed in an attack allegedly carried out by Iran using a “suicide” boat against a US-owned oil tanker near Iraq, sources said.
The US-owned and Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Safesea Vishnu was attacked off Khor Al Zubair port within Iraq’s territorial waters by an Iranian suicide boat, sources told PTI.
An Indian national, whose name is being withheld for the time being, was reportedly killed in the attack, while the remaining 27 crew members and personnel onboard the tanker were rescued and taken to Basra, the sources added.
Sources close to Safesea, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the company is devastated by the loss of the Indian crew member in the attack.
They urged the Government of India to strongly condemn the incident and take urgent steps to ensure the safety of crew members on ships operating in the region amid escalating tensions in West Asia.
The sources also expressed concern that Indians make up more than 15 percent of seafarers worldwide, warning that regardless of which vessels are targeted in the conflict, Indian nationals could become “collateral damage.”
According to shipping data website Vessel Finder, the 228.6-metre-long and 32.57-metre-wide Safesea Vishnu is a crude oil tanker built in 2007 and currently sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands. It has a gross tonnage of 42,010 and a deadweight tonnage of 73,976. (Agencies)
