A 54-year-old marine engineer from Mumbai was killed after the MT Safesea Vishnu came under attack near Khor Al Zubair Port on Wednesday.
According to the Directorate General of Shipping under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the deceased seafarer has been identified as Deonandan Prasad Singh, a resident of Kandivli in Mumbai.
In a press release issued on March 12, the ministry confirmed the death of one Indian seafarer in the incident. Officials said Singh, who was serving as the additional chief engineer (superintendent) aboard the vessel, died after sustaining severe injuries during the attack.
Singh’s family has alleged that he had been on shore duty for more than seven years after leaving sailing work, despite having nearly 25 years of experience in the engineering department at sea. According to them, the company compelled him to return to sailing just days before the conflict escalated in the region.
They claim Singh was asked to join the vessel in Iraq three days before the war began, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.
“Singh was killed almost two weeks after he joined the vessel in Iraq. It was like forcing him to join because he had signed an agreement with the company. In the corporate world one has to abide by the company’s rules and regulations. Despite having stopped sailing and taken a shore desk job, he was sent back,” a family member said.
“Singh sustained severe injuries during the incident and later succumbed to them. Authorities and relevant maritime agencies have been informed, and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack is underway,” a ministry official said.
Following the attack, all crew members abandoned the vessel and entered the water. They were rescued by a ship-to-ship (STS) tug, after which the Iraqi Coast Guard evacuated all 28 crew members — including 16 Indian nationals and 12 Filipino nationals — and brought them safely to the port of Basra.
Officials at the Directorate General of Shipping office in Mumbai declined to comment further on the incident. The shipping company, Executive Management or Bravo Shipping Management, had not responded to queries at the time of reporting.
The management of MT Safesea Vishnu and associated stakeholders expressed condolences to Singh’s family. Meanwhile, the alumni cell of Birsa Institute of Technology Sindri (BIT Sindri) also posted a condolence message on Facebook mourning his death.
