All 24 Indian seafarers aboard a tanker that caught fire off the coast of Oman after being struck by US forces have been rescued and evacuated safely, Indian authorities said.
Crew members of the unladen tanker had sent distress messages saying the vessel was on fire and sinking.
Monday's incident is the latest involving commercial shipping in Gulf waters, where the Iran war and US-led enforcement measures have sharply increased risks to maritime traffic.
It comes against the backdrop of tensions involving Iran, the US and Israel, which have disrupted shipping routes and increased military activity in and around the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
A fire broke out on the tanker MT Marivex at about 1330 local time while 24 Indian sailors were on board, Opesh Kumar Sharma of India's ministry of ports, shipping and waterways told reporters on Monday.
Sharma said preliminary reports indicated that all the seafarers were safe and that authorities were coordinating across government agencies to ensure their security. The government did not elaborate on the cause of the fire.
According to Indian media reports, the crew was evacuated by helicopter operated by Omani authorities and taken to Masirah Island.
Marivex had previously been sanctioned by US authorities for alleged Iran links, the Reuters news agency reported.
The All India Seafarers Union, which represents Indian merchant sailors, said it received distress communication from a crew member of the Palau-flagged tanker shortly after the fire broke out and remained in contact with the crew and authorities throughout the rescue effort.
The Forward Seamen's Union of India, another such body, called it a "matter of serious concern" as it urged swift action to ensure the safety of the crew, support for their families and security of seafarers.
Both unions confirmed that the crew had been rescued and reported safe.
US Central Command later said in a statement that American forces "disabled an unladen oil tanker" in the Gulf of Oman on 8 June "after the vessel violated the ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port".
"An F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fired a precision munition into the ship's engineering and steering spaces after the crew failed to comply with directions from US forces," said the statement, adding: “Marivex is no longer sailing to Iran.”
Media reports said the vessel was empty at the time of the incident and was located south of the Strait of Hormuz - a chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies pass in normal times.
Source: BBC
– Agencies
