20 SAILORS RESCUED AFTER CARGO SHIP SINKS OFF OMAN

A Tanzanian cargo ship loaded with construction material sank off Oman’s south coast on Saturday.

However, all the 20 sailors aboard the vessel were saved by local fishermen.

The ship was heading from the United Arab Emirates to Eritrea in East Africa.

According to the Royal Oman Police (ROP), all the crew members of different nationalities were taken to Al Jazir Hospital for medical examination and their condition is found to be good and healthy.

The ROP, while posting the pictures of the ship sinking in the Arabian Sea online, said in a statement, “A Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship sank in Omani territorial waters just before the port of l Labki in the Wilayat o f Jazir after sailing from Sharjah to Eritrea”.

Meanwhile, Oman’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs refuted rumours that the ship that sank was an oil tanker.

In a statement the ministry said: “What is being circulated in the social media that the ship was carrying oil. Our information from the

authorities is that the ship was construction material”.

The ROP said that the ship was loaded with sand and iron, and sank six to nine miles from Al Labki. Information has it that seawater poured into the ship through a leak, causing it to sink.

An Omani citizen had alerted the local police station who took the crew members to the Al Jazir Hospital.

The authorities are in touch with the local shipping agents to ensure

their safe return home. carrying