NEW DELHI: Three merchant ships with Indian crew members have come under attack from the US Navy off the Oman coast in the last four days, resulting in the death of three Indians, said the government, which lodged a strong protest with the US and asserted that attacks should stop. The number of Indian seafarers killed has increased to seven since the West Asia conflict broke out on February 28. This is also the first time that India has acknowledged the US Navy targeting the ships.
While two Palau-flagged oil tankers — Marivex and Settebello — came under attack on June 8 and 10, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged bitumen tanker ‘MT Jalveer’, with 20 Indians, was attacked on Thursday.
Government Response
Shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal tweeted, “It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified. This is a profound loss to our maritime family.” He said the government stands firmly with the bereaved and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin.
India Lodges Strong Protest With US
The 21 remaining Indian crew on the vessel were evacuated, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Later, Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary in the shipping ministry, said all the remaining 25 crew members of the Settebello — 21 Indians, two Pakistanis, one Russian and one Ukrainian — have been safely evacuated. He added that the Seamen Welfare Fund Society has been asked to pay Rs 10 lakh to the family of each deceased.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said two of the three vessels that came under attack were subject to sanctions administered by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), while the Settebello had been classified as non-compliant. OFAC acts against vessels involved in violating US sanctions on the sale of Iranian and Russian oil.
Following the attack on the Settebello on Wednesday, the MEA had summoned US charge d'affaires Jason Meeks, and he was handed a demarche, or diplomatic note of protest.
Indian Seafarers in the Gulf Region
Responding to another question on the number of Indian seafarers in the Gulf region, Mangal said more than 18,000 Indian seafarers remained in the West Asia region, including 562 crew members aboard 13 Indian-flagged ships — 329 on vessels west of the Strait of Hormuz and 233 on vessels in the Gulf of Oman.
Meanwhile, the Congress party on Thursday condemned “reckless military actions” by the US and demanded that the government take necessary diplomatic measures to establish accountability.
