A file photo of Denden taken off Assab port were it was registered

Denden, an Eritrean cargo ship, sank in the early hours of Saturday morning off the coast  of India.

The ship that was carrying “furnace fuel” oil encountered problems after leaving port and dropped anchor in the Arabian Sea 14 km off the coast of Mangalore on Friday night. It was pushed off position by fierce monsoon winds and tilted towards the starboard side before being swallowed by the sea in a short period of time.

Fishermen from the area came to the rescue of the distressed ship and retrieved two bodies. At least 20 crew members were rescued but one crew member was reported missing.

Denden was an 8,000 ton ship owned by the Red Sea Trading Corporation (RSTC), the economic arm of the PFDJ, the ruling party in Eritrea.  In addition to Denden, RSTC owns 4 other ships including Angelo and Selam. RSTC's shipping strategy is based on buying aging ships and providing services at steep discount; however, it has been experiencing severe shortages in skilled manpower.  

Last year, the PFDJ announced the purchase of a passenger ship, Harat,  which later was found to be not sea-worthy and was sent to be scrapped in a scrap metal port in India.  

Youtube clip of the sinking of Denden