Eight Indian sailors have been stranded in Oman after surviving an Iranian missile strike that set their ship ablaze and killed at least one member of the crew. The Palau-flagged Skylight was struck last week while travelling through the Strait of Hormuz amid the widening conflict. In the first week of March, the Directorate General of Shipping had said that three Indian sailors working on ships with foreign flags had been killed and one had been hurt as violence in West Asia grew.
The attack killed ship captain Ashish Kumar, a resident of Bihar, while crew member Dalip Singh remains missing. According to reports, four of the crew members had suffered varying injuries during the strike. They have also lost their passports, visas and other identification documents — stranded at Khasab port until alternative arrangements can be made. According to an Indian Express report, eight sailors have now been at Khasab Airport for more than a week, waiting for emergency travel documents.
“We lost everything, including cash, my gold chain, my iPhone, my HP laptop and things worth Rs 2-3 lakh,” one crew member told the Indian Express.
He also said that only three cell phones should be kept and that “some people don’t even remember their family member’s phone number.”
Why are the eight sailors still stuck?
They couldn’t travel even after being rescued because the fire ruined their passports, visas and other crucial papers. Six of the sailors have now been hired by Lucknow-based SKS Krishi Marine Drive.
“The outpass process for six seafarers was completed on March 9,” director Sumit Singh told The Indian Express.
The other two work for a different company. He said, “We will buy their tickets to India as soon as we get the visa for the UAE.” This will take at least three days to happen.
A crew member from West Bengal who works for Sairam Ship Management in Maharashtra is also waiting for an outpass. The Indian Embassy is also helping with the paperwork, as per the company.
Why did the survivor tell about the attack?
A member of the crew told The Indian Express that the attack was very bad and came out of nowhere. “The ship shook and moved to the side when the first missile hit. The second rocket pushed it even deeper into the water. He said, “It took about 15 seconds for both strikes to happen.” When he thought back to the moments after the crash, he said, “It happened at 7:05 a.m. ” We screamed, “Captain, Dalip, get out of the ship!” because it was on fire. The survivor said that the crew jumped into the sea at 8 a.m. and were later picked up by an army boat. He also talked about how the trauma will never go away, saying to The Indian Express, “None of us will ever get over it…” We haven’t been able to sleep well since then. We always think that someone might attack us again from somewhere”.
What are the officials saying about the bigger issue?
The government said that 28 Indian-flagged ships with 778 Indian sailors were stuck in the Persian Gulf because the Strait of Hormuz was blocked. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, the special secretary in the shipping ministry, stated, “There are 24 Indian-flagged ships with 677 Indian seafarers to the west of the Strait of Hormuz and four ships with 101 Indian seafarers to the east.” As per a report by Mint, Sujata Sharma, a petroleum ministry official, said, “India’s crude supply is still safe,” and it made it clear that other ways of getting crude were being used. The Indian Express source at the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The Embassy of India in Oman is helping all Indian citizens involved in the MV Sky Light incident and is still in touch with the local authorities.”
In the first week of March, the Directorate General of Shipping had said that three Indian sailors working on ships with foreign flags had been killed and one had been hurt as violence in West Asia grew.