The Indian Navy has successfully carried out a complex and high-risk operation involving the recovery of an unexploded missile warhead from a crude oil tanker, the defence ministry of India said on Thursday.

According to an official release by the ministry, the tanker MT Olympic Life was on passage from Fujairah in the UAE to Kochi when it reported an explosion in its hull while off the coast of Oman on May 26, 2026. The vessel did not have any Indian nationals onboard.

The 318,676-dwt vessel (built- 2019) reported the presence of an unexploded ordnance as it continued its transit towards Kochi.

Following the alert received through the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), the Indian Navy initiated a coordinated response.

A specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Southern Naval Command in Kochi was deployed to assess the situation.

The team confirmed that a projectile had penetrated the vessel’s hull, traversed multiple structural compartments and was lodged inside a fuel tank.

Given the risks associated with the presence of an unexploded missile warhead inside a fuel storage compartment, the EOD team adopted a phased approach to ensure the safety of the ship, its crew and nearby port infrastructure.

After completing prescribed safety procedures, the team used advanced diagnostic methods to identify and isolate the detonation mechanism before carrying out the safe extraction of the warhead along with the associated debris, the press release said.

The recovered ordnance has been transported to a secure facility for safe stowage and detailed examination.

“This meticulously planned and executed high-risk operation, conducted over an extended duration, underscores the Indian Navy’s proficiency in explosive ordnance disposal, technical expertise and effective inter-agency coordination in addressing complex maritime contingencies,” the statement of the defence ministry read.

“The Indian Navy’s prompt response to an emergency at sea irrespective of the nationality of the crew or the ownership of MT Olympic Life, reaffirms its role as a responsible maritime force dedicated to global maritime safety and a trusted and preferred security partner in the region,” it added.