Cargo ship sinks off Sharjah; none hurt

All five crewmen rescued as vessel nearly makes it into Hamriya port before slipping underwater, officials say.

SHARJAH // A cargo ship carrying diesel fuel sunk today about 500 metres off the coast of Hamriya, but all five crewmen were rescued, Sharjah Hamriya ports officials have confirmed.

The ship started having technical problems when it was 10 nautical miles offshore, officials said. When attempts to fix the issues failed, the ship's captain contacted Hamriya port officials for help.

The captain told the port's sea monitors at the control unit that the ship's engines were struggling. Later, he told them he had lost control of the ship's steering, and by then the vessel, loaded with diesel fuel cargo, had started sinking.

The control unit notified the coast guard, which rushed to the ship and rescued the five Indian crewmen, officials said. The vessel soon sunk completely, leaving small traces of oil leakage in the water.

After ensuring that the crew members were in good health, authorities took the men into police custody to help with the investigation into how the ship had sunk.

Sources from the ports said the sunken ship was owned by a local shipping company.

It is the second ship to have sunk in less than six months. The White Whale, a ship carrying diesel fuel, sunk in October about 16 kilometres off the Umm Al Qawain coast.

Nine of its crew members were arrested and referred to public prosecution on charges of overloading the vessel. The ship remains underwater, although there have been discussions on refloating it.