New Delhi | The Indian Navy has completed a complex operation to recover an unexploded missile warhead from a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker off the Kerala coast, the defence ministry said on Thursday.
The MT Olympic Life, which did not have any Indian nationals on board, was sailing from Fujairah in the UAE to Kochi. It had reported an explosion in its hull while off the coast of Oman on May 26, the ministry said.
The vessel reported the presence of an unexploded ordnance as it continued its transit towards Kochi, a Navy spokesperson said.
On receipt of information through the Information Fusion Centre - Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), the Indian Navy initiated a coordinated response.
Kochi-based Southern Naval Command deployed a specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team for a detailed assessment. The team confirmed that a projectile had penetrated the vessel's hull, traversed multiple structural compartments and was lodged inside a fuel tank, the ministry said in a statement.
In view of the risks associated with the presence of an unexploded missile warhead inside a fuel storage compartment, the EOD team adopted a deliberate and phased approach to ensure the safety of the ship, its crew and surrounding port infrastructure.
"After completion of prescribed safety procedures, the EOD team employed advanced diagnostic methods to identify and isolate the detonation mechanism before carrying out the safe extraction of the warhead along with the associated debris," it said.
The recovered ordnance has been transported to a "secure facility for safe stowage and detailed examination," the Navy said.
This meticulously planned and executed high-risk operation, conducted over an extended duration, underscores the Indian Navy's proficiency in explosive ordnance disposal, technical expertise and effective inter-agency coordination in addressing complex maritime contingencies, the ministry said.
The Indian Navy's prompt response to an emergency at sea, irrespective of the nationality of the crew or the ownership of MT Olympic Life, reaffirms its role as a responsible maritime force dedicated to global maritime safety and a trusted and preferred security partner in the region, it added.
New Delhi | Left parties on Thursday condemned the killing of Indian seafarers in alleged US military attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf region and accused the BJP-led Centre of failing to strongly defend the interests and safety of Indian citizens.
In separate statements, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation criticised the government's response and demanded accountability for the deaths.
The CPI(M), in a post on X, described the incident as another instance of "US imperialism" and alleged that American forces have attacked a commercial oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, killing three Indian sailors.
"Yet the MEA's statement doesn't even name the US as the perpetrator. While Indian lives are lost, Modi is busy thanking Trump and hailing the India-US strategic partnership. Shameless subservience," the party said.
The CPI(M) said it strongly condemns the alleged attack and what it termed the government's "complete abdication" of India's sovereignty and duty to protect its citizens.
It demanded that the government issue a strong condemnation, seek full accountability for the deaths of the Indian sailors and press the United States to halt its military actions in West Asia.
The party also called for steps to ensure free navigation in the region and the withdrawal of what it described as a blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.
The CPI(ML) Liberation alleged that the government has refused to unequivocally condemn the attacks and hold the US military accountable.
In a statement, the party's central committee claimed that after the attack on M V Settebello, in which Indian crew members were reportedly affected, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has only issued a routine demarche to the US envoy.
It further alleged that another Indian-crewed vessel, M V Jalveer, was attacked by the US military off the coast of Oman a day later.
The party also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not commenting on the deaths of the Indian seafarers.
"On the very day three Indian mariners were killed, PM Modi was busy thanking his 'dear friend Trump' and saying that he looked forward to working with him to further advance India-US ties, while refusing to say a single word about the killing of Indian seafarers," the statement said.
The CPI(ML) Liberation alleged that the government's response reflects "complete contempt" for the lives and safety of Indians, and linked it to what it described as New Delhi's growing proximity to the US and Israel.
Both parties urged the government to take immediate measures to ensure the safety and welfare of the Indian seafarers operating in the region and pursue all available diplomatic and legal avenues to secure justice for the victims.
Crew members of a tanker carrying 20 Indians were evacuated on Thursday after the vessel came under attack off an Oman port, officials said.
This was the third instance of a merchant ship with Indian crew members coming under attack allegedly from the US military off the Oman coast in the last four days.
A Palau-flagged oil tanker carrying 24 Indian seafarers was allegedly disabled by US forces on Monday. All crew members of the vessel, M T Marivex, were safely rescued., Jun 11 (PTI)
On Wednesday, the US allegedly struck another Palau-flagged tanker, M T Settebello, killing three of the 24 Indian sailors on board.
Following Wednesday's incident, the MEA summoned US Charge d'Affaires Jason Meeks and he was handed a diplomatic note of protest.
The third attack -- on a Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel identified as M T Jalveer -- took place on Thursday.