• Source:JND

A 47-year-old Merchant Navy Captain died of cardiac arrest on board a merchant vessel that was carrying oil near the Strait of Hormuz, his family said on Friday. The deceased captain had been identified as Captain Rakesh Ranjan.

Ranjan, on February 2, left Ranchi for Dubai. He traveled to rejoin the merchant vessel "Avana." Later, the vessel sailed into the Strait of Hormuz to load an oil consignment and departed for India on March 1.

However, the vessel halted at sea due to grappling tensions in the Middle East amid the ongoing war. According to Ranjan's family members, the ship remained anchored nearly 60 kilometers off the coast of Dubai for around 18 to 20 days, with approximately 35 crew members on board, including Captain Singh.

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Ranjan's health kept deteriorating due to seasickness on March 18. The junior officers onboard contacted the Dubai air traffic authorities for an air ambulance. However, the prevailing war situation made it difficult to get necessary clearance in time.

Afterwards, Captain Ranjan was transported from the ship to the Dubai coast on a boat. However, the authorities declared him dead on arrival. He suffered a heart attack and passed away before even reaching the hospital.

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The deceased captain's family said that they have not yet received any clear message on how the medical assistance failed to save him. Subsequently, the family is now seeking a thorough report of the sequence of events that resulted in the sudden death.

Family members believe that timely medical evacuation might have saved his life. "On the evening of March 18, we were informed by the shipping company that Rakesh ji had gone unconscious. Panic gripped the family, and we started contacting everywhere, including the company’s head office in Singapore, seeking the current status of his health conditions,” said Captain’s brother Umesh Kumar.

After keeping them in a dilemma for around 7-8 hours, they were informed that Captain Rakesh is no more, he added. "The exact cause of death is still not known to us, and they have not given anything in writing about the reasons that led to his death,” said the brother.

Victim's Brother Urges CM Soren To Bring Back Ranjan's Body

"I request Chief Minister Hemant Soren to help bring my brother's body back at the earliest. The company should also not create any hurdles in releasing his financial dues and entitlements, and the government should monitor the matter," his elder brother Umesh Singh said.

"In addition, I urge the central government, the Indian consulate in Dubai, and the company to hand over my brother's body to us at the earliest," PTI quoted Kumar as saying.


Ranjan's brother remarked that the captain's life might have been saved if five or six hours hadn't been spent. Additionally, Umesh Kumar asked the Indian government to hasten the return of dead bodies. Captain Sanjeev Kumar, a close friend of Captain Rakesh Ranjan and a 28-year veteran of the Merchant Navy, feels that the captain's life would have been saved if the proper medical facilities had been made available promptly. He has called on the government and business to help the family financially and humanitarianly. His lifeless remains are currently being stored at the Sheikh Rashid Hospital mortuary in Dubai. His body is currently being repatriated to India.


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