MV Suez runs out of fuel, stranded off Oman

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Days after it was released by Somali pirates with its 22-member crew, including six Indians, the Egyptian cargo vessel MV Suez was stranded on the high seas after it ran out of fuel, a top maritime authority said here on Saturday.

The ship was on way to Salala Port in Oman and was expected to reach there sometime on Saturday, the directorate-general of shipping, India, said here. The DGS did not mention the ship’s exact position or how many nautical miles away from port it was stranded due to lack of fuel. The ship’s representative had requested the DGS to supply around 15 tonnes of fuel to enable it complete its voyage.

“However, the mid-sea refuelling was not found feasible due to prevailing adverse weather conditions,” the DGS said. The DGS also examined the possibility of locating an emergency towing vessel in the vicinity of the ship, but the efforts proved unsuccessful. Now, the DGS has advised the ship’s representatives to hire an emergency towing vessel from Salala Port and tow MV Suez to the port.

The ship, which was hijacked by Somali pirates and released after nearly 10 months, has a 22-member crew of different nationalities — six Indians, 11 Egyptians, four Pakistanis and one Sri Lankan. They are expected to disembark at Salala and from there travel to Muscat, from where they would board flights to their respective countries.