A fire broke out on a Palau-flagged tanker carrying a crew of 24 Indians when it was attacked off the coast of Oman on Monday, and all the crew members were later evacuated to safety by the Omani Air Force.
Upesh Kumar Sharma, director of the Ministry of Shipping, said in a press conference that the crew of the ship MT Marifix, which was not carrying any cargo, reported the fire at 1.30 pm. “The ship was outside the Strait of Hormuz, and was completely clear towards the south,” he added, adding that all crew members were fine.
Several hours later, the crew members were evacuated by an Omani Air Force helicopter, as videos posted on social media platforms showed.
An audio recording of an SOS message allegedly sent by the Marivex crew showed a crew member saying the ship was on fire after a “US Navy missile attack on our engine room.” Sharma said in a press conference that the Indian authorities are checking whether the ship was hit by a projectile.
The Ministry of Shipping coordinated with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Mission in Oman, the Ministry of Defense and the Indian Navy to ensure the safety of the crew members.
According to Marinetraffic.com, a website that tracks the movement of commercial ships, the Marivex was sailing from Karwar in Karnataka to Duqm in Oman.
The Advanced Seafarers’ Union of India, one of the oldest organizations representing seafarers in the country, said in a social media post that “the attack on a ship carrying 24 Indian seafarers… is of grave concern.”
“FSUI urges rapid and coordinated action to ensure the safety of crew, provide support to their families and maintain the safety of seafarers at sea,” she added.
Oman is located next to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has closed since the conflict with Israel and the United States began in February. The attack on Marifix came against the backdrop of a new escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran since Sunday.
Ten Indians have died in West Asia since the beginning of the conflict, including three sailors killed in attacks on merchant ships in the early days of hostilities.
