New Delhi: A vessel carrying Indian crew members caught fire off the coast of Oman after the US military struck its engine room with two Hellfire missiles,
according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The incident marks the third attack this week involving ships with Indian crew in the Gulf region.
India condemns attacks
In a post on X, CENTCOM said the Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker M/T Jalveer was attempting to transport Iranian oil through the Gulf of Oman. It claimed that a US aircraft targeted the vessel’s engine room after the crew allegedly failed to comply with repeated instructions from US forces.
The development comes amid rising tensions in the region and a series of attacks on commercial vessels. Reacting to the incidents, India strongly condemned the attacks on tankers manned by Indian seafarers and described them as “deeply worrisome”.
MEA lodges protest
The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday called for an immediate halt to such attacks and urged all parties to exercise restraint to ensure the safety of maritime traffic and civilian crew operating in the Gulf.
“There have been several incidents involving Indian seafarers in West Asia in the last few days. We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafarers’ community. We need not re-emphasise this point,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday.
“Yesterday, we condemned the attack on a ship off the coast of Oman in which, unfortunately, we lost three Indian nationals. We had summoned the US CDA here to register a strong protest. We expect the US to take due note of our potest,” he added.
Third attack on vessel
MT Jalveer is the third vessel with Indian crew members to be targeted near Oman in the past few days. Earlier, three Indian seafarers went missing after the Palau-flagged oil tanker Settebello was struck by US forces off the Omani coast. The US military said the vessel was targeted for allegedly attempting to violate its blockade on Iranian oil shipments.
In another incident on Monday, a fire broke out aboard MT Marivex, which had 24 Indian seafarers on board, after the vessel was attacked south of the Strait of Hormuz.
