All three missing Indian seafarers on tanker MT Settebello hit by US forces confirmed dead, FSUI rejects CENTCOM’s claims

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday confirmed that the three Indian seafarers reported missing after the attack on the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman have tragically lost their lives. Bodies of the deceased have been located and identified.

The ship was hit by American forces to ‘disable’ it to enforce President Trump’s blockade on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker had an all Indian crew.

In a post on X, the minister described it as a “deeply unfortunate” incident and a “profound loss to our maritime family.” He assured that the government stands firmly with the bereaved families and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin.

Minister Sonowal has directed officials to ensure the immediate repatriation of the rescued crew members and the swift return of the mortal remains of the deceased seafarers for their final rites.

Earlier, two sailors were confirmed dead while the third remained missing. Now the minister has confirmed that all three have died.

According to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), the three Indian crew members who lost their lives are Deck Cadet Aditya Sharma, Engine Fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya, and Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh. According to FSUI General Secretary Manoj Yadav, the three are from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.

Earlier in the day, Yadav said that they were unable to establish a connection with the ship, saying that the communication with the vessel was severely disrupted.

FSUI has also questioned US CENTCOM’s claims over the attack on the ship. The CENTCON had claimed that the ship was sailing to an Iranian port violating US blockade, and therefore an F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincon fired at the ship’s engineering and steering spaces to disable it after the crew failed to comply with directions from the US forces.

However, Manoj Yadav has rejected this claim, and said that MT Settebello and Marivex, another Palau-flagged ship crewed by Indians struck by US earlier, were on anchor in the Gulf of Oman. He said that the crew likely didn’t receive any radio warnings as they were not sailing.

Manoj Yadav further said that he believes US naval forces were aware of the nationalities of those onboard the vessels and that detention could have been considered as an alternative if instructions were not followed. He said, “I absolutely refuse to believe that the US lacked information regarding the nationalities of the people on board those ships. That is simply not possible. I am 101% certain that US naval forces knew exactly how many Indians and foreign nationals were on those vessels. If the ships failed to heed their instructions, detaining them was a viable alternative.”

Of the 24 Indian nationals onboard the vessel, 21 have been safely rescued. The incident occurred amid ongoing tensions in the Gulf of Oman region.

This incident comes days after a similar US strike on another Palau-flagged tanker MT Marivex, where all 24 Indian crew members were successfully rescued by Omani forces with no casualties.

Yesterday, India summoned US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks and handed over a strong demarche following the strike on the vessel.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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