The FSUI claimed that a 35-year-old sailor aboard the MT Celestial died on June 11 after falling ill and that his body was on board without proper arrangements.
The death of an Indian sailor on board a ship anchored in the Duqm port in Oman has drawn criticism from the Seafarers’ Federation of India (FSUI), an organization that represents Indian seafarers across the world.
The union claimed that 35-year-old sailor Nishanth Yurthanathan aboard the MT Celestial tanker Shadow died due to the shipowner’s negligence on June 11 after he fell “seriously ill and his body remained on board the ship without any proper arrangements for the preservation of the body.” Track updates on the US-Iran conflict
“The crew is using cold water bottles in a desperate attempt at a terrifying situation and health risks,” the FSUI wrote in a post on X, adding that a timely medical evacuation was “delayed amid regional tensions.”
“FSUI and the captain urgently call for the body to be preserved and repatriated, the crew supported, and a full investigation into the failure of the response,” she said.
“The delay in assistance and failure to arrange the remains shows clear intent. Questions also for the Omani authorities,” the union wrote in another post, where it called for “accountability.”
Indian sailor dies
The Indian Embassy in the Sultanate of Oman confirmed the death of the 35-year-old sailor, saying that he died of medical complications on board the ship MT Celestial while it was docked in the port of Duqm in Oman.
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“Arrangements are being made to return the remains to India early,” the embassy said in a social media post on Saturday.
India has more than 300,000 seafarers working across global shipping fleets, according to government data. An Indian Ministry of Shipping official said last week that more than 18,000 Indian seafarers are working in the Middle East.
The death comes days after three Indian sailors were killed in a US raid on a tanker off the coast of Oman, sparking criticism from the public and opposition parties.
Read also: Legal notice, more betrayals: Fresh tremors hit Mamata Banerjee as she struggles to keep TMC safe
Opposition parties urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the issue with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit later this week.
On Friday, India took the rare step of filing a second protest with the United States over the strike, which occurred more than three months after the US-Israel war on Iran.
Sana started her career in 2018 with News18 and later moved to BoomLive. In the meantime, she thought it would be a good idea to share what she had learned, so she taught a part-time journalism course at Jamia Millia Islamia, which she says she thoroughly enjoyed – and she wasn’t sure if the feeling was mutual. For a year, she also tried out communication roles, but realized she felt more comfortable with the news. So, I joined HT in September 2025. Not much of a talker, always up for tea and a quip. Pun always intended. Her motto is, “I’ll figure it out, but I have to panic first.”Read more
