Andhra Pradesh seafarers caught in the Gulf of Oman’s line of fire

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A visual of the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello, with 24 Indian seafarers on board, attacked by U.S. forces off the coast of Oman, near Strait of Hormuz, on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: ANI

The human cost of the crisis acquired a face this week. Patnala Suresh, 44, a chief engineer from Visakhapatnam, was among three Indian seafarers killed in a U.S. strike on the MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10. His wife, Bhargavi, left to care for two school-going children, has appealed to the Central and State governments to expedite the repatriation of his remains.

Within four days, two other vessels carrying Indian crews were also attacked in the Gulf of Oman. On June 8, the MT Marivex was struck, and all 24 Indians aboard were rescued. The MT Jalveer was targeted near Shinas port, Oman, on June 11; all 20 Indian crew members aboard were evacuated safely.

India supplies roughly 12% to 15% of the world’s seafarers. Andhra Pradesh contributes disproportionately to that number. S.V. Durga Prasad, marine engineer and consultant at the Indian Maritime University, said there could be around 2,500 marine engineers from the region at sea at any given time, rising to more than 5,000 if ratings and support crew were included. In coastal villages around Visakhapatnam, almost every household has at least one family member working on a ship.

Mr. Suresh’s case illustrates a pattern that has gone largely unacknowledged: seafarers stranded well past their contractual periods, unable to be relieved because sending replacement crews into a conflict zone has become almost impossible. “Knowing the present situation, very few people are willing to go into a war zone to relieve those already stranded,” Mr. Durga Prasad said. A ship cannot be left unmanned, so existing crews remain trapped until a port of safety is reached.

VIDEO | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: Bhargavi, wife of Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh, who died after a vessel attack off the Oman coast, says, "Last night, they called