A Sri Lankan-flagged ship sunk off the coast of Umm Al Quwain in the UAE after it had collided with another ship, however all thirty-one crew men from both vessels were rescued, foreign media reported.
The police operations room was notified of the accident at around 3.30am on Friday and dispatched rescue teams to the area, about 9 nautical miles out, The National reported today.
“One of the ships with a Sri Lankan flag was coming from Iran to Dubai with 9 Indian crew members, it was empty, while the other ship with a Comoros Islands flag was leaving Dubai to Somalia with 22 crew members had a load of different goods including 46 cars,” said UAQ police spokesman.
“After the collision the Sri Lankan ship sunk but all its crew were rescued and all were in good health.”
He said efforts are underway to raise the sunken ship while the second vessel was brought to Sharjah Port for repairs.
Police said the cause of the accident was still being investigated but initial inquiries indicated the Sri Lankan ship had stopped and did not have its lights on.
It is suspected the ship had a malfunction with its engine, which cut out the power.
The case has been handed to UAQ prosecutors.
