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Three Indian crew members are missing and 21 others have been rescued after an attack Wednesday on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello off the coast of Oman, India's foreign ministry said, in the latest strike on commercial shipping in one of the world's most strategically vital waterways.
India's foreign ministry condemned the attack and said the Indian embassy "is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing search and rescue operation." The vessel was carrying 24 Indian nationals among its 28 crew members at the time of the strike.
British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said the 47,198 deadweight-tonne Settebello transmitted a distress call reporting that its engine room had been struck by a missile, triggering a fire onboard and at least one casualty.
The Omani Navy responded to the ship's distress call after a nearby vessel received the transmission, Vanguard said. The vessel was operating approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of the Omani port of Sohar at the time of the incident, which occurred at around 09:30 UTC.
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The Settebello is a chemical and oil products tanker registered under the flag of Palau. Its India-based operator could not be immediately reached for comment, according to reports. The vessel was partially laden and had last been tracked off Oman's coast as recently as June 1, according to ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic.
Data from maritime analytics firm Kpler show the vessel has regularly carried Iranian oil.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency, which monitors commercial shipping safety in the region, confirmed a tanker had experienced a fire in its engine room off Sohar and said local authorities were on the scene assisting with the evacuation of the crew.
The agency did not attribute the cause of the fire.
British maritime security group Ambrey assessed the strike was likely the result of U.S. operations to blockade Iranian ports, adding that the pattern of the attack was consistent with previous such strikes, in which "crews have been warned to gather on the bow of a vessel before an attack on the stern." A second maritime security source also assessed the vessel was likely hit by a U.S. missile. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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