LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - Two crew members are missing and one is injured after a suspected U.S. missile strike hit a tanker off the coast of Oman, according to maritime officials. The British maritime security grou...
LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - Two crew members are missing and one is injured after a suspected U.S. missile strike hit a tanker off the coast of Oman, according to maritime officials.
The British maritime security group Ambrey suggested that this incident is likely linked to U.S. efforts to block Iranian ports. They noted that in previous situations, crews were advised to gather at the front of the ship before an attack targeted the back.
Another maritime security source also indicated that the ship was probably struck by a U.S. missile.
U.S. Central Command (Centcom) has not commented on the situation yet.
There were 24 Indian sailors among the crew of 28, as reported by an Indian government source. Officials are trying to confirm if the two missing crew members are from India.
The vessel involved is a Palau-flagged chemical and oil products tanker that reported a fire in its engine room 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s port of Sohar, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency.
The tanker, named Settebello, had its distress call responded to by the Omani Navy, as stated by the British maritime risk management group Vanguard.
The Indian operator of the ship was not available for comment.
The tanker was partially loaded and was last tracked off the coast of Oman on June 1, based on information from the MarineTraffic ship-tracking platform.
Since April 13, the United States has implemented a blockade on Iran-related shipping after Iran restricted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas passage.
On June 8, Centcom reported that U.S. forces had taken control of seven non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 compliant ships, and allowed 42 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to pass.
So far, there have been no reports of fatalities from these operations.
On Monday, U.S. forces disabled the unladen oil tanker Marivex in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to head to an Iranian port, violating the ongoing blockade against Iran, according to the U.S. military.
The targeted ships include Iranian vessels and older tankers without Western insurance, referred to as a shadow fleet, which transport sanctioned oil and sail under various flags to hide their real ownership and cargo.
Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, called on all parties to act responsibly and stressed the importance of protecting civilian seafarers, emphasizing that their safety should always be the top priority.