Daring op on high seas: Navy recovers unexploded missile warhead from oil tanker bound for Kochi from UAE

NEW DELHI: In one of the most daring operations on the high seas, the Indian Navy has safely disposed of an unexploded missile warhead recovered from the fuel storage compartment of a crude oil tanker, while Marshall Islands-flagged MT Olympic Life was on its way to Kochi from UAE’s Fujairah, the defence ministry said on Thursday.

The Navy’s high-risk mission was carried out on May 26 when the master of the oil tanker reported an explosion on the port side aft (back of the ship) of the vessel near the waterline at 09.45 UTC while sailing around 60 nautical miles east of Oman, as per UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency’s data. It is still not known yet who fired the missile at the tanker.

While reporting about the unexploded ordnance, the MT Olympic Life, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) that can carry roughly 2 million barrels of crude oil, continued its transit towards Kochi.

Though no exact number of crew members is available, a VLCC like MT Olympic Life typically operates with a crew of 20 to 25 members. The ministry, however, clarified that no Indian national was there among the crew.

On getting information through the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), the Indian Navy initiated a coordinated response. The Kochi-based Southern Naval Command quickly deployed a specialist explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team for a detailed assessment. The EOD team confirmed that a projectile had penetrated the vessel’s hull, traversed multiple structural compartments and was lodged inside a fuel tank, the defence ministry said in a release on Thursday.

In view of the risks associated with the presence of an unexploded missile warhead inside a fuel storage compartment, the EOD team adopted a deliberate and phased approach to ensure the safety of the ship, its crew and surrounding port infrastructure.

After completion of prescribed safety procedures, the EOD team employed advanced diagnostic methods to identify and isolate the detonation mechanism before carrying out the safe extraction of the warhead along with the associated debris. The recovered ordnance has been transported to a secure facility for safe stowage and detailed examination, the Navy said.

After the removal of the warhead, the 7-year-old crude oil tanker safely arrived at the Kochi port on June 10 and is currently docked there. All the crew members and the tanker are safe.

The meticulously planned and executed operation, conducted over an extended duration, underscores Indian Navy's proficiency in explosive ordnance disposal, technical expertise and effective inter-agency coordination in addressing complex maritime contingencies.

The defence ministry said the Navy’s prompt response, to an emergency at sea, irrespective of the nationality of the crew or the ownership of MT Olympic Life, reaffirms its role as a responsible maritime force dedicated to global maritime safety and a trusted and preferred security partner in the region.