Muscat: Eight Indian crew of a dhow targeted by pirates were rescued by an Omani warship off Ras Al Madrakah on the sultanate’s southeastern seaboard, the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) said on Monday.
The body of a ninth sailor, who had drowned during a desperate escape attempt, was recovered by the navy.
In a statement, the RNO said it has dispatched its naval vessel, ‘Al Sharqiyah’, to the aid of the dhow, named ‘Fayiz Othmani’, following an SOS from the wooden craft that it was under attack by suspected Somali-based pirates.
The incident occurred in international waters, some 80 nautical miles off Oman’s southeastern coast.
According to the report, the Fayiz Othmani’s crew jumped overboard when they spotted the approaching RNO naval vessel.
While eight of the crew were rescued, help came late for a ninth seafarer whose body was eventually found in the surrounding waters.
The survivors were given first aid on board Al Sharqiyah and later handed over to local authorities, the report added. There was no immediate word about the fate of the Fayiz Othmani.
Oman has watched with alarm a growing trend in pirate attacks occurring closer to its shores. Last June, the German-owned cargo ship, MV Charelle, was hijacked by Somali pirates barely 60 kilometres from Oman’s eastern coast.
The vessel was released nearly five months later. Last December, the crew of a Greek oil tanker deployed water hoses and flares to fight off pirates during an abortive hijack bid some 50 nautical miles south of the sultanate.
Following a sharp rise in attacks on dhows, which traditionally ply between the Indian subcontinent and the Gulf, Indian authorities last week prohibited its mechanized sailing vessels (also called as dhows) from sailing south or west of a line that connects Salalah on Oman’s southern coast with Male, the capital of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.
