India has more than 300,000 seafarers working across global shipping fleets, according to government data. Representational file image.
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An Indian died from medical complications aboard the vessel MT Celestial while it was docked at Duqm Port in Oman, the Indian embassy in Muscat said late Saturday (June 13, 2026).
The Indian mission identified the deceased as Nishanth Uirthanathan, who was on board MT Celestial. It stays in close contact with Mr. Uirthanathan’s family.
“Efforts are underway to facilitate the earliest possible disembarkation and repatriation of his mortal remains,” the embassy said in a post on social media.
India has more than 300,000 seafarers working across global shipping fleets, according to government data. More than 18,000 Indian seafarers are employed in West Asia, an official in the country’s shipping ministry said last week.
The death comes days after three Indian seafarers were killed in a U.S. strike on a tanker off Oman, triggering criticism from the public and opposition parties.
Opposition parties have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit later this week.
And on Friday (June 12, 2026), India took the rare step of lodging a second protest with the U.S. over a strike that took place more than three months into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The Ministry of External Affairs said it had summoned the U.S. chargé d’affaires to convey “its deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping.”
The body of 35-year-old Nishanth Uirthanathan, who died on June 11, remained onboard for more than two days without proper refrigeration, the Forward Seamen’s Union of India said on social media on Saturday (June 13, 2026).
“Crew is using cold water bottles in a desperate attempt to slow decomposition – a horrifying and health-risking situation,” the Union said, sharing a video it said was from the tanker.
(With inputs from Reuters, PTI)
Published – June 14, 2026 02:13 pm IST
