Another ship, the Liaki Freedom, with an Indian crew on board, was reportedly attacked by the United States off the coast of Oman. However, just moments later, the Foreign Office confirmed that it had spoken to the ship’s captain who confirmed that all crew members on board were safe and that reports of any attack were “false”.
According to the Advanced Seafarers’ Union of India, he was unable to contact the ship because his High Frequency (VFH) radio was not responding. However, I was able to track the ship’s position, and its coordinates are: latitude 24°43.85 north, longitude 56°37.52 east.
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The United States has not yet responded to these reports.
This came after three ships with an Indian crew on board were attacked in the Gulf in recent days. While US Central Command confirmed that the attacks were carried out by US naval forces, US President Donald Trump placed the blame on Iran and said that Tehran was behind the attacks.
So far, three Indian sailors have been killed in US Navy attacks in the Gulf.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said early on Saturday that he spoke to his US counterpart Marco Rubio on Friday and lodged India’s strong protest over the attacks.
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“I spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest against the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that resulted in the death of three Indian sailors. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping have no justification,” he wrote on X.
What happened?
A merchant ship called Settebello was bombed in the Gulf on Wednesday, leaving three Indian sailors missing and later confirmed dead.
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Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said in a post on Channel
“I have directed officials to ensure immediate repatriation of the rescued crew members and speedy return of the remains of the deceased for their final rites,” he added.
On Thursday, smoke was detected due to a fire in the engine room of the ship MT Gulliver, as a result of which the crew members were evacuated to the port of Shinas in the Sultanate of Oman. There were reportedly 20 Indian sailors on board the Guinea Bissau-flagged tanker, and all of them are safe.
The Palau-flagged tanker MT Marifix caught fire on Monday after it was attacked by the US Navy off the coast of Oman, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The Middle East Airlines said that all 24 Indian crew members on board the plane were rescued safely.
