New Delhi: An Indian merchant vessel, MT Jalveer, that had 20 Indian sailors onboard has come under attack off Oman coast. This comes at a time when there have been reports of similar vessels, carrying Indian sailors, getting attacked during US strikes in the region.
“The vessel has 20 Indian seafarers on board, and all of them are reported to be safe. No casualties or injuries have been reported,” a spokesperson of the Ministry of Shipping said at a press conference.
Earlier, another vessel MT Settebello, carrying 24 crew members, came under attack by the United States amid the West Asia crisis off Oman’s port, making it the third such instance of US strikes on Indian crewed vessels. On Thursday, three Indian sailors, who were aboard the attacked vessel, were declared dead by Indian Union Minister of Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal. The remaining 21 crew members were rescued, reported Hindustan Times.
The Embassy of India in Oman condemned the attack on social media. It mentioned that it was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities.
According to reports, India had summoned a senior US diplomat on Wednesday after the American forces had struck the second Indian vessel in the Gulf of Oman this week.
The US forces had also fired on an empty tanker that they suspected of being involved in the Iranian oil trade. But all crew members on that vessel were also saved.
Reports claim that the US forces had so far taken action against eight non-compliant vessels and redirected 134 ships. US and Iran had come on the brink of resuming war after one of the biggest hostilities since the ceasefire that was announced on April 8.
