Third vessel carrying Indian crew reports incident off Oman as Gulf tensions intensify

An incident involving a vessel off Oman’s Shinas port was reported on Thursday, with the Indian Embassy in Oman saying it was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities to gather more information.

According to people familiar with the matter, this is the third reported case this week involving a merchant vessel with Indian crew members coming under attack by US forces amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region. Initial reports indicated that all crew members aboard the vessel were safe.

The development comes a day after India summoned a senior US diplomat to protest a strike by American forces on an Indian-crewed vessel in the Gulf of Oman, raising concerns about the safety of commercial shipping as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensify.

The vessel Settebello, carrying 24 Indian crew members, was struck earlier this week. While 21 sailors were rescued, three Indian crew members were confirmed dead on Thursday, according to government sources.

In a separate incident, US forces fired on Marivex, an empty tanker suspected of involvement in the Iranian oil trade. All 24 Indian crew members aboard that vessel were rescued safely.

The US Central Command has said that its forces have so far disabled eight non-compliant vessels and redirected 134 ships as part of ongoing maritime operations in the region.

The incidents come amid a sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran. The US launched fresh strikes on Wednesday after accusing Iran of downing a US Army helicopter, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Iran.

The exchange of fire continued on Thursday, triggering air raid sirens across parts of the Gulf and forcing Kuwait to temporarily close its airspace.