India's shipping ministry said on Monday that a fire was reported on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman with 24 Indian sailors on board, adding that all of them were safe.
The Madagascar-flagged vessel, Marivex, was not carrying cargo, Opesh Kumar Sharma, a director in the federal port and shipping ministry, told a press conference.
"All Indian seafarers are presently safe. We are co-ordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, our Indian missions abroad, the Indian Navy, and the Ministry of Defence to ensure their safety," Sharma said.
He said the cause of the fire, which broke out on the vessel at 13:30 local time (08:00 GMT), was not immediately known.
Indian officials are in touch with Omani authorities for the rescue and safety of the sailors, the Indian embassy said in a post on social media.
(Reporting by Nidhi Verma and Hritam Mukherjee; Additional Reporting by Tanvi Mehta Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
