The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday strongly condemned the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman and confirmed that efforts are underway to trace three missing Indian crew members. In an official statement, the MEA said that 21 of the 24 Indian nationals on board have been rescued, while the Indian Embassy in Muscat is closely coordinating with Omani authorities as search and rescue operations continue.
MEA Statement on the Incident
"We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today. Of the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far and 03 Indians are reportedly missing. Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing Search and Rescue operation," the MEA said through a statement.
Details of the Vessel
The vessel involved is the Palau-flagged chemical and oil products tanker Settebello. According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, the ship reported an engine room fire about 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman's port of Sohar. British maritime risk management firm Vanguard identified the vessel as the Settebello and said the Omani Navy responded to its distress call, as cited by Reuters. Data from ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic showed that the tanker was partially laden and was last recorded off the Omani coast on June 1.
Previous Incident Involving Indian Crew
Last week, the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) sought assistance for 24 Indian crew members aboard a vessel named "Marivex" reportedly attacked off the coast of Oman. In a post on X, the union said the vessel was near the Strait of Hormuz and appealed to Indian authorities and the Indian Navy for support after receiving distress communications from the ship. According to authorities, all 24 Indian crew members were later rescued by the Omani military.
Broader Context: US Blockade in the Region
The United States began enforcing a blockade on maritime traffic linked to Iranian ports on April 13 following disruptions to shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies. CENTCOM said on June 8 that its forces had disabled seven vessels that failed to comply with the restrictions, redirected 134 others, and allowed 42 ships carrying humanitarian assistance to proceed.
