Dubai, United Arab Emirates-Emirati-flagged freighter, longer than the soccer field, sank Thursday in the rugged waters off the south coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf, officials said. The rescuer was trying to explain all 30 crew members of the ship.
Captain Nizar Kadura, the operations manager of the company that owns the ship, told The Associated Press that Al Salmy 6 had encountered dangerous weather. The rough seas listed the ship at an unstable angle and within a few hours the ship was completely submerged.
Rescuers dispatched from Iran succeeded in rescuing 16 crew members, and private vessels were sought to assist in rescue operations, Kadura said. Eleven more survivors boarded the life raft and one was pulled out by a nearby tanker and saved from the water. The two crew members were still shaking in the sea, he said.
The crew consisted of people from Sudan, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, Kadoura said. The ship was destined for the port of Um Qasr in southern Iraq, carrying cars and other cargo. It left Dubai a few days ago.
The Dubai-based Salem Armacrani Freight Company, the owner of the ship, specializes in car freighters.
According to the state-owned IRNA news agency, the ship occupied about 50 kilometers (30 miles) off Asalje in southern Iran. The report added that search and rescue operations were complicated and continued due to bad weather.
After being shaken by the waves, the Iranian media turned over and released images and footage of the ship. This was consistent with previous images of the roll-on, roll-off carrier Al Salmy 6. It was named because you can drive a car. off.
The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, patroling the Middle East, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident.
Important oil and freight transport lanes pass through Iran through the Strait of Hormuz, providing energy supplies from oil-rich Gulf Arab countries to other parts of the world.
In busy waters, shipwrecks and other accidents are still rare. However, sandstorms, strong winds, and other bad weather usually spread throughout the region as the seasons change from cold winters to hot summers.
Stormy weather began to hit the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, the state-run Iranian Meteorological Agency reported, bringing gusts and high waves above 70 kph (40 mph) to Bushehr Province, Iran. Authorities issued a “red warning” this week warning of the suspension of maritime activities in the Gulf and damage to offshore facilities by Saturday.
By Isabel Debre
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