2,000 km after strike, Indian Navy extracts "unexploded missile" from tanker in Kochi

2,000 km after strike, Indian Navy extracts unexploded missile from tanker in Kochi  

The Ministry of Defence described the mission as a "meticulously planned and executed high-risk operation".

In a high-risk operation, the Indian Navy safely extracted an unexploded missile warhead lodged deep inside a fuel tank of the crude oil tanker MT Olympic Life. 

The operation to remove the unexploded missile was carried out by an elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Indian Navy in Kochi. (Images: Ministry of Defence)

The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel sailed nearly 2,000 km from off Oman to Kochi with the deadly projectile embedded since May 26.  

It was like a ticking bomb that could go off any time. 

Only that it was a ship with a warhead stuck to its hull. The saviour — Indian Navy. 

The Indian Navy successfully recovered an unexploded missile warhead from a crude oil tanker that had sailed nearly 2,000 km after being struck off the coast of Oman.

The missile pierced the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Olympic Life, crossed multiple compartments and became lodged inside a fuel tank before the vessel sailed through the Arabian Sea and reached Kochi. 

The recovery operation, carried out by a specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, isolated the warhead's detonation mechanism and safely extracted it along with associated debris, said the Ministry of Defence.  

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday said he had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and conveyed India's strong protest over US naval attacks in the Gulf that killed three Indian seafarers.  

The statement comes amid growing risks to commercial shipping in the Middle East (Western Asia), where merchant vessels have increasingly found themselves caught in the fire of the US-Israel-Iran War. 

They have been exposed and hit by missiles, drones and other sea mine attacks. Since June 9, three ships crewed by Indians have been hit by US forces enforcing a blockade around the Sea of Oman.

Since the outbreak of the war, shipping companies have also had to contend with naval blockades and soaring insurance costs. 

The Gulf of Oman, where MT Olympic Life was hit, and adjoining waters have become one of the world's most sensitive maritime corridors, which carries a substantial share of global energy trade.

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