Reports that 24 Indian sailors on board a ship were attacked off the coast of Oman (Image source
The unloaded oil tanker MT Marifix, carrying 24 Indian crew members, broke down and caught fire in the Gulf of Oman on Monday after US military action, officials said.The US military said that an F/A-18 Super Hornet fired precision munitions at the ship after it violated the blockade of Iranian ports and ignored the directives of US forces. “US forces disabled an empty oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on June 8, after the ship violated the ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port.”Revealing more details, US Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled the Palau-flagged M/T Marivex as it was crossing international waters in the Gulf of Oman towards Iran.
An F/A-18 Super Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fired a precision munition into the ship’s engineering and guidance spaces after the crew failed to comply with directions from US forces. Marivex no longer sails to Iran.”
Meanwhile, Indian officials, while not admitting to hitting the US warplane, said that all 24 Indian sailors on board were safely evacuated with the help of Omani authorities, according to ANI sources.
A shipping ministry official also said the ship was not owned by India and had reportedly been blacklisted by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control. The sources said that the ship made multiple attempts in recent days to evade US naval warnings, including turning off tracking signals and entering Omani waters, after which it was “disabled.”On June 8, the ship made another attempt to bypass the blockade using Omani territorial waters. She turned off her signaling devices so as not to be detected.
“This pattern shows that her intention was not overboard. “The ship was in an unloaded state when it was disabled,” said a source who requested anonymity.The Indian Embassy in Muscat confirmed the safe evacuation of all crew members and thanked the Omani authorities for their quick response. Investigations into the accident are continuing.Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the Seafarers’ Federation of India (FSUI) sought urgent assistance for the 24 Indian sailors on board the ship, amid rising tensions in the region linked to the Israel-Iran conflict. The reason was not known at that time.
