Indian Navy recovers, disposes of unexploded missile warhead from oil tanker off Oman coast

Kochi: The Indian Navy has successfully recovered and safely disposed of an unexploded missile warhead from a crude oil tanker that was headed to Kochi after reporting an explosion in its hull off the coast of Oman last month, an official said on Thursday.

According to the defence spokesperson, the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MT Olympic Life, which had no Indian nationals on board, was sailing from Fujairah in the UAE to Kochi when it reported an explosion in its hull on May 26 off the coast of Oman.

The vessel subsequently reported the presence of unexploded ordnance while continuing its voyage towards Kochi.


Upon receipt of information through the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), the Indian Navy initiated a coordinated response.

The Southern Naval Command, based in Kochi, deployed a specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal team to assess the situation.

The team confirmed that a projectile had penetrated the vessel's hull, passed through multiple structural compartments, and become lodged inside a fuel tank, a statement said.

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

After completion of prescribed safety procedures, the EOD team employed advanced diagnostic methods to identify and isolate the detonation mechanism before safely extracting the warhead along with associated debris.

The recovered ordnance has since been transported to a secure facility for safe storage and detailed examination, the statement said.

The Navy said the operation, which involved significant risk, demonstrated its expertise in explosive ordnance disposal, technical capability, and effective inter-agency coordination in handling complex maritime emergencies.

The Indian Navy's prompt response to an emergency at sea, irrespective of the nationality of the crew or the ownership of the vessel, reaffirms its role as a responsible maritime force dedicated to global maritime safety and a trusted security partner in the region, the statement added.