US Navy Helps Sinking Dhow Carrying 14 Indian Nationals Off Oman Coast Amid Regional Tensions

A dhow carrying 14 Indian nationals reportedly began sinking off the coast of Oman on Sunday, triggering an emergency rescue effort involving the United States Navy, the Indian Navy and a nearby merchant vessel.

According to government sources, the US Navy alerted shore authorities and the Indian Navy after receiving information that the dhow was in distress approximately 80 nautical miles east of Ras Al Hadd, Oman, on the morning of June 14.

Sources told CNN-News18 that a US Navy P-8 maritime patrol aircraft responded to the emergency by dropping a life raft near the vessel and monitoring the evacuation of those onboard.

The crew members then embarked onto the life raft after the dhow reportedly started sinking.

The US Navy also coordinated assistance

from a nearby merchant vessel, MV Jabal Ali 9, a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged ship that was travelling from Sohar and bound for Mumbai.

Government sources said the vessel was requested by the P-8 aircraft to proceed towards the distressed dhow and render assistance.

The ship was already operating in the vicinity of the incident.

Officials said all 14 individuals aboard the dhow are Indian nationals. While their condition was not immediately known, authorities were closely monitoring the rescue operation.

The incident occurred in waters off Oman’s eastern coast, an area that has assumed greater strategic significance in recent months because of ongoing tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.

The rescue comes at a time when commercial shipping and maritime operations near Oman and the Strait of Hormuz continue to face disruptions linked to the wider Middle East conflict.

Reuters reported this week that vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains below pre-conflict levels despite signs of a possible diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran.

The news agency also reported fresh military activity near the waterway, including the interception of drones heading towards the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the fragile security environment in the region.

Shipping companies and maritime authorities have been operating under heightened caution for months.

Reuters reported earlier that hundreds of vessels and around 20,000 seafarers had been stranded in and around the Gulf region amid disruptions to navigation through Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the cause of the dhow’s sinking was not immediately known.

Rescue operations were continuing at the time of reporting.