An Indian seafarer serving aboard the merchant vessel MT Celestial died due to a “medical condition” at Duqm Port in Oman, the Indian Embassy in Muscat said on Saturday.

The embassy said that arrangements are being made to repatriate his remains to India.

“The Embassy has been in continuous contact with the ship management company and is coordinating closely with all concerned stakeholders,” the statement added.

The seafarer who died has been identified as Nishanth Uirthanathan, a 35-year-old second officer from Tamil Nadu, The Indian Express reported.

He died on Thursday evening due to medical complications while the vessel was at Duqm Port.

The Forward Seamen’s Union of India alleged that Uirthanathan died “due to lack of timely medical support”.

In a separate post, the union on Saturday said his “body has remained onboard for over two days with no proper refrigeration”.

“Crew is using cold water bottles in a desperate attempt to slow decomposition – a horrifying and health-risking situation,” the crew said in a video posted by the Union. “Despite repeated distress calls, timely medical evacuation was reportedly delayed amid regional tensions.”

They sought urgent repatriation of Uirthanathan’s remains.

According to a statement signed by 15 crew members and shared by the union, Uirthanathan first became seriously ill on June 8 and suffered repeated vomiting, Mathrubhumi News reported.

They said the company was informed immediately and that requests for assistance were also made through maritime communication channels.

However, the crew alleged that despite repeated requests, no immediate medical assistance arrived as his condition worsened. They said they sought an urgent medical evacuation through Duqm Port authorities on Thursday and were directed to coordinate with a local agent.

According to the crew’s account, Uirthanathan became unconscious later that day and subsequently died.

The union has called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the medical response, the handling of the emergency and support provided to the crew.

It has also raised broader concerns about the welfare and safety of merchant seafarers operating in the region amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

The vessel’s management company, Romana Ship Management, rejected suggestions of wrongdoing and instead mentioned an earlier disagreement with the crew regarding the vessel’s route, Mathrubhumi News reported.

“It is further placed on record that three (03) days prior to this incident, you were advised to proceed to Shinas, which you refused without valid justification,” the news outlet quoted the company as saying.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.