New York, April 1 A global maritime company has called for an independent international investigation into an attack on one of its crude oil tankers last month, which killed an Indian crew member, describing it as a threat to global shipping and trade stability.
Safesea Group Chairman Dr. S V Anchan has sought an investigation into the March 11 attack on the MT Safesea Vishnu, saying that “the sequence of events indicates a highly coordinated and premeditated operation involving reconnaissance, precise execution, and apparent real-time monitoring, raising serious concerns for global shipping.”
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was operating in Iraqi territorial waters when it was attacked off Khor Al Zubair port near Basra, allegedly by an Iranian "suicide" boat. Deonandan Singh, 55, a senior crew member from Mumbai, was killed in the attack.
The tanker was anchored at Khor Al Zubair and was engaged in routine ship-to-ship loading operations. It had already completed part of its cargo operations alongside the berth and had moved to anchorage to complete the loading of approximately 53,000 metric tons of naphtha.
In a statement to
