Friday 26 / April / 2024
MUSCAT: Many dwellers of Al Qurum with sea-view houses who lie down for relaxation at the beach between Crowne Plaza Hotel and Muscat InterContinental Muscat area would have wondered about the secret behind the wreckage of an old ship which had sunk close to the beach and parts of which appears during the tides at the sea.
This led me to research further on the mystery of this ship and it goes back half a century to unveil the secret behind the ship that was buried under sea.
In 1966 engineers and workers were busy turning the area of Saih Al Malih (currently known as Mina Al Fahal) into an oil refinery complex. The development work continued upon discovery of oil during the 1960s at Yibal, Natih and Fahud which led to tens of ships loading steel pipes and heavy equipment to arrive at Saih Al Malih harbour for the construction of a port to export crude oil from the Sultanate.
A ship named Antonello appeared on the horizon one day when workers were busy building oil tanks and oil pipelines at the foot of the hill adjacent to the port. It approached the harbour and never sailed back again.
The ship had sailed from Palermo Port in Italy and was carrying steel pipes and construction materials that were part of development works amounting to US$70 million. These materials among others were for construction of six crude oil tanks, industrial area and houses for senior employees at Ras Al Hamra.
A big portion of the load was yet to be unloaded when a fire suddenly broke out on the ship on August 24, 1966. The crew and workers on-board were rescued and the wreck remained to depict the story of the Antonello.
