Videos circulating on social media have captured visuals of an US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu coming under attack near the Iraqi coast, with the footage showing a vessel engulfed in flames following a strike.
The visuals, which have widely circulated online show the terrifying moment an Iranian drone-boat struck a US-owned crude oil tanker off the coast of Iraq on Wednesday night.
According to a report by NDTV Safesea Vishnu, a crude oil carrier sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, is owned by the US-based company Safesea Transport Inc. The attack took place near Basra in Iraq, and one Indian crew member on board the tanker died in the incident.
The terrifying moment an Iranian drone-boat smashed into US-owned oil tanker SafeSea Vishnu off the Iraq coast last night.
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) March 12, 2026
There are potentially hundreds of these drone boats. Absolute chaos in Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/sfZmw7jLWW
The Indian Embassy in Baghdad confirmed that the remaining 15 Indian crew members who were on board the vessel were evacuated after the attack and moved to a safe location. The embassy also stated that it is in regular contact with the authorities in Iraq as well as with the rescued Indian sailors following the incident.
The Directorate General of Shipping said it is closely monitoring the situation involving the oil tanker near Basra and coordinating with relevant agencies to ensure the safety and welfare of the crew.
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In a statement, the Directorate General of Shipping said, "The Government of India has received information regarding an incident involving the oil tanker MT SAFESEA VISHNU near Basra, Iraq, on 11 March 2026, during ship-to-ship (STS) cargo loading operations off Khor Al Zubair Port."
According to the preliminary information shared in the statement, "a white-coloured unmanned speedboat carrying explosives approached the vessel from the starboard side and rammed into it, resulting in a major fire onboard."
"The Iraqi Coast Guard evacuated all 28 crew members, including 16 Indian nationals and 12 Filipino nationals, and transported them safely towards the Port of Basra. Firefighting tugs remain deployed at the site and are working to contain the blaze,” the statement added.
The attack reportedly took place on Wednesday, March 11 night.
This is huge. A US-owned oil tanker SafeSea Vishnu has been attacked by Iran off the coast coast of Iraq overnight. Unclear what was used for the attack, a drone, missile or even a drone boat/semi-submersible drone. pic.twitter.com/5dlprPJmpM
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) March 12, 2026
According to reports, Iran has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
NDTV, citing the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, reported that the country said that an underwater drone strike "blew up two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf".
Along with Safesea Vishnu, another oil tanker was also reported to have come under attack. The second vessel is identified as Zefyros, which sails under the Maltese flag and is owned by a Greece-based company. Reports stated that this tanker also caught fire after being attacked in Iraq's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
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