Indian sailors killed after US strike on tanker near Hormuz

• Vessel carrying Iranian oil
• IMO condemns attack
• Ship movements in strait increase

Three Indian seafarers were killed after a US strike disabled an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, as more ships this week attempted to transit the hazardous waterway.

The MT Settebello was targeted off the coast of Oman on Tuesday when an aircraft fired precision munitions into its engine room, according to US Central Command.

Washington said the vessel was attempting to transport Iranian oil through the Gulf of Oman in breach of the American blockade imposed in April.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said 21 of the vessel’s 24 Indian crew members had been rescued, while three were killed.

Announcing the deaths of the three sailors in a post on X, India’s shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said it was “deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident”.

“Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” he said.

“This is a profound loss to our maritime family.”

Oil prices rose in early Thursday trading following Iran’s claim of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a move denied by the US amid escalating tensions. The US Central Command said in a social media post that commercial ships continue to transit in and out of the strait.

A senior US diplomat was summoned to India’s foreign ministry in New Delhi on Wednesday after the incident. Jason Meeks, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy, was handed a formal diplomatic démarche expressing concerns over repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the region, according to Indian media reports.

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez condemned the attack, saying any act that endangered the lives of seafarers and the safety of international shipping was “simply unacceptable”.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the Royal Navy’s maritime security agency, said local authorities had reported a tanker suffering a fire in its engine room about 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman. The agency said there had been one casualty and two crew members were missing.

The vessel, which sails under the flag of Palau, was operating near Sohar, close to the entrance of the strait, an area that has seen repeated attacks and other incidents involving commercial shipping since the Iran conflict began on February 28.

India’s diplomatic mission in Muscat is closely monitoring the situation and working with the authorities in Oman in the ongoing search and rescue operation, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

“The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region in keeping with international law must be restored at the earliest,” a statement issued by the ministry said.

Further reading:

• Oil prices rise as Iran claims closure of Strait of Hormuz
• More oil tankers cross Hormuz – but many vessels ‘go dark’
• Iran is used to coping with adversity, but this is something else

The attack on MT Settebello took place just two days after the US forces similarly attacked and disabled the unladen MT Marivex oil tanker, which was also sailing under the flag of Palau, in the Gulf of Oman on Monday.

A gradual increase in vessel movements this week through the chokepoint had raised hopes that traffic was beginning to normalise.

Chris Wright, the US energy secretary, said on Tuesday that traffic through the waterway was increasing “very meaningfully”, the Financial Times reported.

One in four tankers stranded in the Gulf at the height of the conflict have now managed to leave the region, according to maritime news outlet Lloyd’s List, although about 160 vessels of various sizes remain in Gulf waters.

Arsenio Longo, a maritime security analyst at HUAX, told AGBI that while “traffic through Hormuz appeared to be picking up again, we are also seeing more AIS-dark behaviour than before”.

A ship’s AIS, or automatic identification system, allows it to broadcast its position and movements. Vessels travelling “dark” switch off those signals, making them difficult to track.

Earlier this week, the IMO renewed warnings to shipowners considering ordering their vessels to transit the narrow waterway.

“I am increasingly concerned by reports that vessels continue to attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz without any credible security guarantees,” said Dominguez.

Before Wednesday’s incident, the IMO had verified 43 attacks on international shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz since February 28, resulting in 11 confirmed seafarer fatalities.