All 24 Indian crew members aboard a Palau-flagged tanker were rescued after a fire broke out on the vessel following an attack by the US Navy off the coast of Oman on Monday. The crew was later evacuated safely by the Oman Air Force.

The vessel, identified as MT Marivex, was not carrying any cargo at the time of the incident. According to officials, the fire was reported by the crew at around 1.30 pm. Opesh Kumar Sharma, director in the shipping ministry, said, “The vessel was well out of the Strait of Hormuz, and well clear to the south.” He also confirmed that all crew members were safe.

Several hours after the fire was reported, a helicopter from the Oman Air Force carried out a rescue operation and evacuated all 24 Indian sailors. The Indian Embassy in Muscat thanked the Omani authorities through a social media post for ensuring the safe rescue of the crew.

An audio recording of a distress call sent from the vessel later surfaced. In the SOS message, a crew member can be heard saying that the ship had caught fire after a “US Navy attack by missile on our engine room”.

People familiar with the matter said that MT Marivex had been blacklisted and sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency under the US Treasury Department. OFAC monitors and enforces sanctions and takes action against vessels suspected of violating US restrictions on the trade of Iranian and Russian oil.

According to these sources, the tanker was not owned by an Indian company. They claimed that Marivex had attempted four times in recent days to bypass the US blockade of Iranian ports. During the first three attempts, the vessel reportedly turned away after receiving repeated warnings from the US Navy.

The same sources said that the vessel made a fourth attempt on Monday. This time, it allegedly tried to move through Oman’s territorial waters to get past the blockade. They further claimed that the ship had switched off its signal devices in an effort to avoid detection. According to them, this behaviour raised concerns about the vessel’s intentions. “This pattern made it clear the vessel’s intentions were not ‘above board’,” they said.

Following the incident, Indian authorities moved quickly to coordinate rescue and support efforts. The shipping ministry worked closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian mission in Oman, the Defence Ministry and the Indian Navy to ensure the safety of the crew members and monitor the situation.

Data available on marinetraffic.com, a vessel-tracking platform, showed that MT Marivex was sailing from Karwar in Karnataka to Duqm in Oman when the incident occurred.

Organisations representing Indian seafarers expressed concerns over the attack. The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), one of the country’s oldest seafarers’ organisations, described the incident as serious. In a social media post, the union said the “attack on a vessel carrying 24 Indian seafarers…is a matter of serious concern”. It added, “FSUI urges swift and coordinated action to ensure the safety of the crew, provide support to their families, and uphold the security of seafarers at sea.”

The incident comes at a time of rising tensions in West Asia. Oman lies next to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route that has been blocked by Iran since the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States began in February. The attack on MT Marivex took place amid a fresh escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran that began on Sunday.

The continuing conflict has already affected Indian nationals working in the region. Since the start of the hostilities, ten Indians have lost their lives in West Asia. Among them were three Indian seafarers who were killed in attacks on merchant vessels during the early stages of the conflict.

The rescue of all 24 Indian crew members has brought relief to their families and Indian authorities. However, the incident has once again highlighted the risks faced by commercial shipping and seafarers operating in waters affected by ongoing regional conflicts and geopolitical tensions.