A Palau-flagged tanker carrying a crew of 24 Indians caught fire after coming under attack off the coast of Oman on Monday, and all crew members were subsequently airlifted to safety by the Oman Air Force.
The crew of the MT Marivex, which was sailing without any cargo, reported the fire at 1:30 p.m., according to Opesh Kumar Sharma, a director in the shipping ministry, who spoke at a media briefing. He said the vessel was far beyond the Strait of Hormuz and positioned well to the south, and added that all crew members were safe.
Videos shared on social media showed that several hours later, the crew members were airlifted by a helicopter belonging to the Oman Air Force. An audio recording of a distress call, allegedly transmitted by the crew of the Marivex, included a crew member stating that the ship was ablaze following a “US Navy missile attack on our engine room.” Sharma informed the press that Indian officials were working to determine whether the vessel had been struck by a projectile.
The shipping ministry worked in coordination with the external affairs ministry, the Indian mission in Oman, the defence ministry, and the Indian Navy to safeguard the crew members. According to marinetraffic.com, a website that monitors the movements of commercial ships, the Marivex was traveling from Karwar in Karnataka to Duqm in Oman.
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India, among the country’s oldest bodies representing seafarers, stated in a social media post that the “attack on a ship with 24 Indian seafarers on board…is a matter of grave concern.”It added, “FSUI urges swift and coordinated action to ensure the safety of the crew, provide support to their families, and uphold the security of seafarers at sea.”
Oman lies next to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has kept closed since a conflict with Israel and the United States began in February. The strike on Marivex occurred amid a renewed surge in hostilities between Israel and Iran that started on Sunday.Since the conflict began, ten Indian nationals have lost their lives in West Asia, among them three seafarers who were killed in attacks on merchant ships during the initial phase of the hostilities.