Third ship with Indian crew hit by US forces in Gulf of Oman, bitumen tanker MT Jalveer with 20 Indians catches fire after the strike near Shinas port

In yet another worrying development for Indian seafarers operating in the Gulf of Oman, the commercial vessel MT Jalveer came under attack off the coast of Oman, marking the third such incident involving an Indian-crewed tanker in quick succession amid escalating regional tensions.⁠ This vessel was also reportedly hit by US forces to enforce its blockade on Strait of Hormuz.

The Guinea-Bissau-flagged bitumen tanker was reportedly struck near Shinas port, triggering a fire in the engine room and funnel area. Indian sailors, estimated to number around 20, are on board the vessel. The Indian Embassy in Muscat is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with Omani authorities, and search and rescue efforts are underway.

The embassy posted on X, “We have learnt of an incident involving a vessel off Shinas port of Oman, earlier today . We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the local authorities for further details.”

As per a video of the SOS call made from the ship, an official from the ship confirmed that all crew members are safe. The official said over the radio, “Shinas port control, this is a message from Jalveer that all crew are safe. We have a huge fire in the engine room.” The Oman Coast Guard had dispatched a rescue boat after getting information about the strike.

As per visuals shared on social media, the vessel was on fire. According to the location of the ship posted by the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), it was hit in Gulf of Oman, around 35 km away from the Shinas port in Oman.

This latest strike follows the American attacks on MT Marivex on June 8 and MT Settebello on June 10. While all 24 Indian crew were rescued safely from Marivex, three Indian seafarers were confirmed dead in the attack on Settebello. Reports from maritime intelligence and media sources indicate that the attack on MT Jalveer was also conducted by US naval forces to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports and efforts to curb sanctions evasion.

Later in the day, US CENTCOM confirmed that US forces struck MT Jalveer for ‘violating the blockade against Iran’. In a post on X, the The US Central Command said, “U.S. forces disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman at 11:20 p.m. ET on June 10 after the vessel violated the blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil, marking the third commercial ship disabled by American forces this week. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) acted against Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces.”

CENTCOM added that it had earlier attacked Palau-flagged vessels M/T Marivex and M/T Settebello for violating the blockade. However, the statement was silent over the death of 3 Indians in the attack on Settebello.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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