Three Sailors From Tanker Hit By Blasts In Gulf Of Oman Return To Russia - Labor Union

Three sailors who were on board one of the oil tankers that was hit by explosions in the Gulf of Oman last week have returned to Russia, while the rest of the crew got back on the vessel, which is currently stationed off the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) coast, the local branch of the Seafarers' Union of Russia told Sputnik

KRASNODAR (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2019) Three sailors who were on board one of the oil tankers that was hit by explosions in the Gulf of Oman last week have returned to Russia, while the rest of the crew got back on the vessel, which is currently stationed off the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) coast, the local branch of the Seafarers' Union of Russia told Sputnik.

"A total of three people ... have return to [Russian Black Sea port city of] Novorossiysk ... The rest of the crew is on board [the tanker]. They have to first unload the cargo and then repair [the vessel]. The vessel has been anchored off [the UAE city of] Fujairah," the chairman of the union's Black and Azov Seas Territorial Organization, Aleksey Belyakov, said.

On June 13, two oil tankers, Norway's Front Altair and Japan's Kokuka Courageous, were hit by explosions of undetermined origin in the Gulf of Oman. Front Altair crew was evacuated to Iran, while people from Kokuka Courageous had been picked up by a US battleship.

According to Front Altair owner, a total of 11 Russians were on board the vessel at the time of the incident, but no one among them was injured.

The oil tankers might have fallen victims to a torpedo attack, but no official confirmation of this theory has been issued so far.