newspop
Paradeep,Odisha : An oil tanker carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil safely reached Odisha’s Paradip Port on Wednesday after surviving a tense passage through the conflict-prone Strait of Hormuz, where it reportedly came under gunfire.The vessel, MT Sanmar Herald, transported a cargo of Basra Medium and Basra Heavy crude oil from Iraq.
According to reports, the tanker encountered active gunfire while transiting near Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.To ensure the safety of the vessel and its crew, the ship reportedly altered its route after the incident and continued its voyage towards the Indian coast without any further security breach.
After arriving off the Odisha coast, the tanker anchored around 22 kilometres offshore near Paradip, where crude oil discharge commenced through the port’s Single Point Mooring (SPM) system.The vessel is believed to have carried around 22 crew members, including the Captain, during its passage through the high-risk maritime corridor.
In recognition of the crew’s resilience and successful navigation through the conflict zone, officials from Paradip Port boarded the vessel to felicitate the Captain and crew members upon their arrival.No official statement was available from the Captain or the crew, who remained engaged in supervising the ongoing cargo discharge operations.
