NEW DELHI, — June 11, 2026 : The Indian Navy has successfully recovered an unexploded missile warhead from the Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker MT Olympic Life after a complex explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operation conducted off the coast of Kerala.
The incident began on May 26, 2026, when the tanker experienced an external explosion on its aft port side near the waterline while sailing approximately 60 nautical miles east of Muscat, Oman, as it exited the Gulf of Oman. The vessel was en route from Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, to Kochi, India.
The explosion damaged one of the ship’s bunker fuel tanks, causing a minor bunker fuel discharge into the sea, which was quickly contained. No injuries were reported among the crew, and the vessel continued its voyage toward Kochi.
During the transit, the crew reported the suspected presence of unexploded ordnance embedded in the vessel’s structure. The alert was received through the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), prompting an immediate response from the Indian Navy.
The Southern Naval Command in Kochi deployed a specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team to assess the vessel. Following an inspection, the team determined that an unidentified projectile had penetrated the ship’s hull, passed through multiple structural compartments, and become lodged inside a fuel storage tank.
Given the risks associated with handling unexploded ordnance inside a fuel compartment, the EOD team carried out a carefully planned extraction operation. Using advanced diagnostic methods, naval specialists identified and isolated the warhead’s detonation mechanism before safely removing the ordnance along with associated structural debris.
The recovered missile warhead was subsequently transported to a secure naval facility for safe stowage and detailed forensic examination.
MT Olympic Life is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) operated by Olympic Shipping & Management of Athens, with technical management provided by Springfield Shipping. The vessel had no Indian nationals onboard at the time of the incident.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the successful operation demonstrated the Indian Navy’s expertise in explosive ordnance disposal and maritime emergency response. Authorities confirmed that no threat remains to the vessel, its crew, or surrounding maritime traffic, and no injuries were reported during the operation.
The Indian Navy said it remains committed to ensuring the safety of international commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean Region, regardless of a vessel’s flag or crew nationality.
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