Iranian Cargo Ship Sinks off Iraqi Coast

An Iranian cargo ship named Behbahan, en route from the southern Iranian port of Khorramshahr to Iraq’s Umm Qasr Port capsized and sank off the Iraqi coast as per Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO).

Behbahan, a 48-metres long vessel, sank in the early hours of Friday, north of Persian Gulf and in the southeast of Umm Qasr Port, Iraq’s only deep water port.

The director-general of Iran’s Bushehr Province’ Ports and Maritime Department, said, “The ship, which had left Iran’s southwestern port Khorramshahr on Tuesday transporting ceramic and constructional materials to Iraq’s Umm Qasr Port, sank in the Khor Abdullah maritime canal between Iraq and Kuwait.”

As per Iranian officials, there were seven crew members onboard, out of which one has reportedly died and four have been rescued. Two people including an Indian national are still unaccounted for.

These four guys were rescued; one other has died, and two others – one Iranian and one Indian – are still missing.
Iran has urged Iraq to probe into issue immediately pic.twitter.com/FyMI8dg3mW

— Reza Khaasteh (@Khaaasteh) June 5, 2020

Search & rescue operations are still in progress.