Dubai: An Indian shipping company said that one of its crude oil tankers suffered an explosion off the coast of Oman and three of its sailors are missing.

The Shipping Corporation of India says the explosion struck the MT Desh Vaibhav on Tuesday in the Gulf of Oman while it was en route to Fujairah on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates.

The shipper says that one crew member suffered burns in the blast and was evacuated by helicopter. It says that the Omani navy and other ships responded to the fire.
A subsequent stock disclosure filed by the shipper said, "The fire has been extinguished and the ship is fully manned and operational".

The company did not identify the nationalities of the missing. A company spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday.