The US Navy attacked the Palau-flagged MT Marivex tanker with 24 Indian crew members off the coast of Oman on Monday, and all were later rescued by the Oman Air Force.
According to the US military, the vessel attempted to break the American blockade of Iranian ports. The ship made four attempts despite warnings and used Oman’s territorial waters in the final bid. A fire was reported at 1:30 p.m. and the crew’s SOS message mentioned a missile attack on the engine room. The tanker carried no cargo and was sailing from Karwar in Karnataka to Duqm in Oman. India’s Shipping Ministry confirmed that all 24 Indian crew members are safe. The Indian Embassy in Muscat thanked Omani authorities for the rescue. The Forward Seamen’s Union of India expressed concern over the incident and called for swift action to protect the crew.
