A fire broke out in the engine room of bitumen tanker MT Jalveer off the coast of Oman. All 20 Indian seafarers on board are safe. Evacuation to Shinas port is underway, coordinated with assistance from the Royal Navy of Oman.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways on Thursday said that so far no casualties or injuries have been reported in the maritime security incident involving bitumen tanker MT Jalveer, where smoke was detected due to a fire in the engine room off the coast of Oman, near the Shinas port, with evacuation currently underway and six more crew members yet to be evacuated.
Ministry Confirms Crew Safety, Outlines Response
Addressing an interministerial briefing on the development of West Asia, Additional Secretary of the Ministry Mukesh Mangal said that the Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel was carrying 20 Indian seafarers. "On 11th June, MT Jalveer, with 20 Indian seafarers on board, was reportedly involved in a maritime security incident near Shinas port, Oman. All crew members are safe. As per the latest information, evacuation to Shinas port has commenced. Six more crew members are to be evacuated," Mangal said.
He added that the Ministry is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions abroad, the Indian Navy, and other relevant stakeholders. "The Ministry is closely monitoring the situation and is in continuous coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions abroad and the Indian Navy and other relevant stakeholders," he added.
The Additional Secretary further stated that the DG Shipping control room has been actively handling communications related to such incidents, managing 12,331 calls and over 27,000 emails since activation. He further stated that 311 calls and 683 emails were received from seafarers, their families, and maritime stakeholders in the past few days. "The Ministry is closely monitoring the situation and is in continuous coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions abroad, the Indian Navy, and other relevant stakeholders. The DG Shipping control room has handled 12,331 calls and more than 27,000 emails since its activation. In the last 72 hours, 311 calls and 683 emails were received from seafarers, their families, and maritime stakeholders," Mangal said.
Indian Embassy, Oman Navy Assist in Evacuation
According to the Shipping Ministry, to date, 3,500 Indian seafarers have been repatriated from various incidents in the region, including 31 in the past 72 hours. This comes moments after the Embassy of India in Oman said that the evacuation of crew members from the vessel MT Jalveer, where smoke was detected due to a fire in the engine room, to Oman's Shinas port is being coordinated with assistance from the Royal Navy of Oman and is expected to be completed soon.
In a post on X, the Embassy stated that efforts are underway in close coordination with local authorities to ensure the safe evacuation of all crew members. "Evacuation of crew from MT Jalveer to Shinas port is being coordinated with assistance from Royal Navy of Oman, and shall soon be completed," the post read.
Vessel Details
As per the vessel tracking website, Marinetraffic, Jalveer is an Asphalt/Bitumen Tanker and is sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau. Her length overall (LOA) is 119.95 metres, and her width is 16.84 meters. (ANI)
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