VISAKHAPATNAM: A pall of gloom descended over Visakhapatnam on Friday as the mortal remains of Patnala Suresh, a marine engineer from Sriharipuram who was killed in an attack on the oil tanker MT Settebello off the Oman coast, arrived in the city.
Suresh, 44, was serving as Chief Engineer aboard the Palau-flagged vessel when it came under attack near the Strait of Hormuz on June 10. He was among three Indian crew members who lost their lives in the incident. The tanker was carrying 24 Indian crew members, of whom 21 were rescued.
A marine engineer with two decades of experience, Suresh had worked with the same shipping company for around 12 years. Family members said he had already received his relieving letter and was awaiting a replacement before returning home after nearly five months at sea. He was expected to return to Vizag later this month to celebrate his 15th wedding anniversary with his family.
Suresh is survived by his wife, two sons studying in Classes IX and VI, his parents and a sister.
“Three Indians have lost their lives in a conflict that had nothing to do with them. I want to know what assistance will be provided to the families of all three seafarers by the Central Government, the State governments and other concerned authorities. There are reports and rumours about compensation, but no official announcement has come so far,” she said.
Seeking the return of her husband’s belongings, she noted that the family was yet to receive any information from the company. “When I travelled to Hyderabad to receive his mortal remains, I was told that his belongings would be sent directly to our home. We have not received them yet. I request that his belongings be returned to us at earliest,” she added.
“My husband was the only breadwinner of our family. Now I am left to raise our two children on my own. My priority is to ensure that they receive a good education and have a secure future,” she remarked.
The incident has drawn attention to the risks faced by thousands of Indian seafarers working in conflict-affected waters of the Persian Gulf. The MT Settebello was one of three vessels carrying Indian crews that came under attack in the Gulf of Oman within a span of days. While all crew members aboard MT Marivex and MT Jalveer were rescued safely following separate attacks, three Indian sailors lost their lives.
Besides Suresh, deck cadet Aditya Sharma and engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya were killed in the attack. As per reports, Suresh was inspecting a fault in one of the ship’s generators when the vessel came under attack.