Another Ship Carrying Indian Sailors On Fire Off Oman Coast. What We Know

MT Jalveer is the third vessel with an Indian crew to come under attack near Oman in a matter of days.

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Visuals from the scene show a large vessel engulfed in fierce blaze, with a thick column of black smoke.
FSUI/ X

A third vessel carrying Indian crew members has come under attack near the Omani coast, with the tanker MT Jalveer caught fire off Shinas port on Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Oman confirmed.

Visuals from the scene show a large vessel engulfed in a fierce blaze, with a thick column of black smoke rising high into the sky over the open sea, a stark visual of the growing danger facing Indian seafarers in the region.

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The Forward Seamen's Union of India said the ship had 20 crew members on board. According to Iran's Mehr news agency, five of the 20 crew members were rescued by passing vessels and taken to Oman.

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The Indian Embassy in Muscat later said evacuation of the remaining crew to Shinas port was being coordinated with assistance from the Royal Navy of Oman and would "soon be completed."

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"We have learnt of an incident involving a vessel off Shinas Port of Oman earlier today. We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the local authorities for further details," the embassy said in a post on X.

Third Ship This Week

MT Jalveer is the third vessel with an Indian crew to come under attack near Oman in a matter of days.

Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed that three Indian seafarers who had been reported missing after the US strike on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello were confirmed dead after their bodies were located and identified.

ALSO READ: Three Indian Sailors Killed After US Hits Ship Off Oman Coast, Bodies Identified

Before that, on Monday, fire erupted aboard MT Marivex, which was carrying 24 Indian seafarers south of the Strait of Hormuz, after it was attacked.

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The Wider Context

The Strait of Hormuz has been almost completely blocked since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February, with Iran blockading the shipping lane and the US enforcing its own competing blockade since April.

Talks during a fragile ceasefire over recent weeks have failed to produce a deal to reopen the waterway.

India has strongly protested the attacks, with the external affairs ministry summoning the most senior US diplomat in New Delhi and calling for an immediate end to strikes on commercial shipping.

ALSO READ: Washington Says In Touch With India After MEA Summons US Diplomat Over Vessel Attack Off Oman Coast

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