New Delhi: Another oil tanker crewed with Indian sailors has come under attack off the coast of Oman Thursday—the third such incident since 8 June.
The Indian Embassy in Oman has acknowledged an incident on a ship near the port of Shinas in Oman. “We have learnt of an incident involving a vessel off Shinas port of Oman, earlier today. We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the local authorities for further details,” the Indian Embassy said in a statement on X.
A fire has broken out in the engine room and funnel areas of the bitumen tanker MT Jalveer, according to Omani media reports. There are around 20 Indian seafarers believed to be on board. However, no clarification has been made yet by the Ministry of External Affairs.
This is the third incident of a merchant vessel being hit off the coast of Oman this week. India summoned the US’ Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks Wednesday evening after the American strike on the Settebello left at least two Indian sailors dead and a third missing. The Settebello was crewed by 24 sailors, all Indian nationals.
India lodged a strong protest against the strikes on merchant vessels with Meeks. The summoning lasted roughly 25 minutes. The MEA strongly “condemned” the strike on the Settebello, calling on all parties, including the US, to stop attacking merchant vessels in the region. The US has been carrying out strikes on tankers that it believes are trying to break its naval blockade on Iran.
Earlier, the MT Marivex was hit by a precision strike on 8 June, after failing to comply with several warnings from US naval forces. All 24 seafarers on board were Indians, and were safely rescued by the Omani Navy.
The MT Jalveer is the latest ship to have been hit. The bitumen tanker sails under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, according to MarineTraffic. It had previously been named Sareshwar, and sailed under the flag of Cook Islands until earlier this year.
Both Marivex and Settebello were sanctioned oil tankers and believed to be a part of a fleet of ships used by Iran to transport its oil. Iranian oil has been heavily sanctioned by the US in the last half decade.
A number of Indian seafarers have been killed since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on 28 February. The war is now in its fourth month. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 8 April. However, the US and Iran have traded strikes two nights in a row.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the war began. The US implemented a naval blockade on 13 April in an attempt to force concessions from Tehran as the two countries have been negotiating a deal to end the war.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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