Mumbai: The Director General of Shipping, in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian embassy in Baghdad, has initiated the process to repatriate the body of 54-year-old Kandivli resident Deonandan Prasad Singh, an additional chief engineer (superintendent), who was aboard the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MT Safesea Vishnu that was hit by an Iranian attack on Thursday.The body could be brought home once the airspace opens this week, sources told TOI on Saturday. The tanker was near Khor Al Zubair Port, in Basra, Iraq, when it was attacked in the wee hours of Thursday. Singh, who was among 17 Indians on board, suffered severe injuries during the attack and later died. Singh spoke with his family on Wednesday evening and assured them that everything was fine before the ship was attacked. He called his family again at around 2:36 am on Thursday and informed them that the ship was on fire. Afterwards, he did not respond to his family’s calls, a family member said. A source from Mumbai’s DG Shipping office told TOI: “Singh’s body, along with the rescued 16 Indian crews, will fly back once the airspace opens. The travel documents and the necessary local formalities are currently in process. At present, Iraq’s airspace remains closed. Further, subject to completion of all formalities and reopening of airspace, the repatriation of the seafarers as well as the mortal remains is expected to take place next week, if all arrangements proceed as planned.” Meanwhile, Iran’s official news agency IRNA said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck one of the two ships, a US-owned vessel, the Safesea Vishnu, because it had ignored warnings and failed to comply with orders. Indian authorities earlier said the Safesea Vishnu, which sailed under the Marshall Islands flag, was attacked by an unmanned speedboat. Meanwhile, Singh’s employer Bravo Shipping Management, did not respond to TOI‘s email related to an update on the incident. Originally from Bihar, Singh moved to Mumbai in 2019 and lived with his family at Raheja Eternity Society in Kandivli East. He is survived by his wife Kumkum Singh, daughter Komal Singh, a medical student at Nagpur medical college, and a son who is currently pursuing a management course in the United States.
