Five go missing, 9 rescued as ONGC vessel sinks

Mumbai, July 9: At least five crew members on board an offshore supply vessel (OSV) of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) went missing after it sank off the Mumbai coast, near the Nhava supply base today.

''The vessel, operated by M/s SICAL under an operation and maintenance contract, sank at 1230 hrs with all its 14 crew members on board. However, nine crew members were rescued by the other ONGC vessels sailing nearby,'' a spokesperson for ONGC told sources.

''A search and rescue operation for the remaining five crew members is in full swing. We are giving top priority to the safety of their lives,'' he added.

Search and rescue operations with the help of one chopper and three vessels are in full swing for the OSV, the company said in a statement in New Delhi.

''This being one of the fleet of around 60 OSVs deployed for material supplies to offshore operations, loss of the OSV is not having any significant impact on operations,'' the statement said.

The insured value of the vessel is likely to be in the range of two to three million dollars, the statement added.

UNI