An Indian seafarer died on board merchant vessel ‘MT Celestial’ due to lack of medical treatment as 14 Indian crew members of another ship, ‘MSV Virat 1’, were rescued after it faced an engine failure off the coast of Oman. The body of Nishanth Uirthanathan is being repatriated.In a post, the Indian Embassy in Oman said it was coordinating with the local authorities, port officials and the shipping company regarding Uirthanathan, who died due to “medical conditions”.The Embassy said the vessel had berthed at Duqm Port in Oman. “The mission is in touch with the family and facilitating all formalities for the earliest repatriation of the mortal remains to India,” it said.Earlier, the Forward Seaman Union of India had posted a video showing fellow crew members using cold water to prevent the body from decomposing.Referring to the incident involving ‘MSV Virat 1’, the Indian Embassy said all 14 seafarers had been rescued.“The rescue operation involving Indian-flagged MSV Virat 1 has been successfully completed. All 14 crew members have been rescued and are presently on board ‘MV Jabal Ali 9’ heading to Mumbai. The crew is safe and in good health,” it said, posting a picture of the rescued mariners.The Embassy had earlier said the mechanised sailing vessel was involved in an incident off the Oman coast. “It has emerged that the vessel experienced an engine failure, and the crew eventually transferred safely to a life raft,” it added.This comes as three vessels with Indian crew members were targeted by the US in the region last week, leaving three seafarers dead.In a statement later, the US Central Command claimed its naval helicopter assisted in the rescue of the 14 mariners.Referring to the rescue, it said upon receiving a distress call from the stranded mariners, a US Navy P-8 aircraft was first on scene and responded by dropping a search and rescue kit that included a life raft, which the 14 mariners boarded.“MV Jabal Ali 9 subsequently arrived on scene and recovered 11 crew members from the raft,” it said, adding that an MH-60S Sea Hawk, assigned to aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, rescued the three other mariners after their life raft capsized in the rough seas. The three were later transported to MV Jabal Ali 9 in good health.Advisory to shipping agenciesThe Directorate General of Shipping has advised maritime recruitment and placement agencies to restrict deployment of Indian seafarers to conflict areas until further orders. This comes days after three Indian seafarers were killed in a US military strike off the Oman coast.