Indian foreign ministry says all Indian crew are safe after the MT Jalveer was involved in a “maritime security incident”
A petrochemical tanker reported a fire off the Oman coast on Thursday after US forces fired at it, the third such incident this week around the Strait of Hormuz.
India’s foreign ministry called the attacks deeply concerning and said all the 20 Indian crew members on board the ship are safe.
The incident comes after New Delhi lodged a diplomatic protest with the US Charge d’Affairs on Wednesday following the death of three Indians when another tanker was struck.
The US Central Command said it acted against the Guinea-Bissau flagged MT Jalveer as it “attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman.”
It said an aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew “repeatedly failed” to comply with directions from US forces.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs described the incident as a “maritime security incident” and said the all-Indian crew on the Jalveer were safe. “The continuing incidents affecting commercial shipping in the region are deeply concerning,” it added.
❗️All 20 Indian Crew Members Onboard MT Jalveer, Attacked Near Shinas Port In Oman, Are Safe – MEA
A shipping ministry spokesman said the crew were being evacuated to Shinas port, and that the ministry is monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Indian foreign ministry, diplomatic missions and the Indian Navy. The Omani Navy was helping with the evacuation, India’s embassy in Oman tweeted.
On Wednesday, three Indian crew members of the MV Settebello had died in an attack by US forces in the same area. And on Monday, the MT Marivex was hit but all its Indian crew were safely rescued. All three tankers were allegedly trying to run the US blockade around Iran.
The United States has been enforcing a naval and economic blockade of all Iranian ports since mid-April. Washington says it is in retaliation for Iranian restrictions on the movement of merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s energy passed before the conflict began.
After the death of the crew members on the Settebello, New Delhi also raised its concern at the UN Security Council, pointing out that several Indian nationals had died or gone missing due to attacks in the region.
