The search for a 41-year-old Indian sailor who fell off from a Liberian crude oil tanker off the West Australian coast has been abandoned.
Mukesh Lala Fulbaria went missing early Sunday after he fell from MT Sigma Integrity, northwest of Carnarvon, in the Gascoyne region.
An air-and-sea search involving four vessels and several helicopters found no trace of Fulbaria.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (ASMA) announced last night the search was being abandoned after it was determined there was no chance Fulbaria would have survived, ABC News reported.
The vessel's operator, Wallem, said the ship would dock in Kwinana where it would assist with AMSA's investigation.
Wallem said it would offer counselling to the ship's crew. It said in a statement that Fulbaria had been an employee for 13 years.
The MT Sigma Integrity had been on its way to the port of Kwinana in Western Australia.
