Muscat : The oil tanker MKD VYOM, flagged to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, was attacked by an unmanned surface vessel (USV) approximately 52 nautical miles off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman.
The vessel was carrying an estimated 59,463 metric tons of cargo. The attack triggered a fire and explosion within the main engine room, resulting in the fatality of one crew member of Indian nationality.
In coordination with the Maritime Security Centre, the tanker’s complement of 21 crew members was evacuated via the commercial vessel MV SAND, which flies the flag of the Republic of Panama.
Simultaneously, a vessel from the Royal Navy of Oman is monitoring the condition of the stricken tanker and issuing the necessary navigational warnings to vessels transiting the same maritime zone.
