The Indian Navy successfully removed a missile warhead from the fuel tank of a commercial crude oil tanker, MT Olympic Life, which was hit near the Oman coast earlier this week.
The recovery of the missile was conducted by an Indian Navy Explosive Ordnance team from Kochi.
The Tanker, flagged in the Marshall Islands, did not have any Indian nationals on board.
It was sailing from Fujairah in the UAE to Kochi when it reported the hull explosion on May 26.
The crew alerted authorities about the unexploded ordnance on board, and the Kochi team was deployed to inspect the vessel.
They found that the projectile had pierced the ship’s hull and lodged inside the fuel tank, creating a major safety risk.
The ship did not flood or suffer any other mechanical issues.
The crew had navigated the sea for several days with the missile part lodged in the fuel tank.
In a press release, the Indian Navy said that the vessel reported the presence of the unexploded ordnance as it continued to Kochi. The distress signal was received when the vessel was 50 nautical miles or 92.6 kilometres from Kochi.
The EOD team adopted a deliberate and phased approach to ensure the safety of the ship, its crew and the port.
The navy team employed advanced diagnostic methods to identify and isolate the detonation mechanism before safely extracting the warhead along with the associated debris.
The recovered ordnance was transported to a secure facility for safe stowage and examination.
The Navy said that the operation, which involved significant risk, demonstrated its expertise in ordnance disposal, technical capability, and effective interagency coordination in handling complex maritime emergencies.
With inputs from PTI
