Key Points
- Casualties Confirmed: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed that all three missing Indian crew members lost their lives after the tanker’s engine room was struck.
- The Incident: US Central Command (CENTCOM) targeted the vessel with precision munitions, alleging it was transporting Iranian oil in violation of an active naval blockade.
- Rescue Operations: Out of the 24 Indian nationals on board, 21 were successfully rescued in a coordinated effort involving Omani maritime authorities.
- Diplomatic Fallout: India has officially condemned the strike and summoned the senior-most US diplomat in New Delhi to register a strong formal protest.
The escalating military conflict in West Asia has claimed the lives of three Indian mariners. On Thursday, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, confirmed that the three crew members initially reported missing following a US military strike on the MT Settebello have died.
The deceased individuals have been identified as chief engineer Patnala Suresh, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya, and deck cadet Aditya Sharma. Minister Sonowal described the incident as a profound loss to the maritime family, stating that the government is fully committed to supporting the bereaved families. Directives have been issued to maritime officials to expedite the immediate repatriation of the surviving crew members and ensure the swift return of the deceased sailors’ mortal remains for their final rites.
Context of the US Military Strike
The incident occurred as the Palau-flagged chemical and oil products tanker was transiting from China’s Lianyungang port to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. According to a statement issued by US Central Command, American forces targeted the MT Settebello because the vessel was allegedly transporting Iranian oil and attempting to breach an ongoing naval blockade imposed around Iran.
US military officials maintained that an aircraft deployed precision munitions directly into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with maritime directions. CENTCOM stated that the objective was to disable the vessel’s propulsion rather than sink it, noting that standard procedural warnings had been issued to the crew to gather at the bow of the ship prior to the strike on the stern. The strike marks the eighth merchant vessel disabled by US forces in waters surrounding Iran since the enforcement of the naval blockade.
Rescue Operations and Status of the Vessel
Following the missile impact, the MT Settebello reported a severe engine room fire approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s port of Sohar. The Omani Navy and local maritime rescue teams rapidly responded to the ship’s distress call.
Through effective regional coordination, 21 of the 24 Indian crew members on board were safely evacuated from the burning vessel and brought to shore. While search and rescue teams initially scanned the waters for the remaining three unaccounted crew members, subsequent recovery operations unfortunately located their remains near the targeted engine compartment.
India Summons US Diplomat Over Maritime Safety
The military action has sparked significant diplomatic friction between New Delhi and Washington. While some vessels previously targeted in the regional crossfire were explicitly blacklisted, official sources indicated that the MT Settebello was not on the active US sanctions list, raising immediate concerns among security experts regarding the criteria for kinetic intervention against commercial shipping.
In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly condemned the attack. Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu summoned US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks to deliver a formal demarche. Indian officials explicitly conveyed that military actions endangering the lives of civilian seafarers are entirely unacceptable.
In an official statement, the MEA characterized the continuing attacks on international shipping lanes as deeply worrisome and a direct fallout of the ongoing regional war. New Delhi reiterated its urgent call for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and urged all parties to prioritize a negotiated diplomatic solution, emphasizing that free, unimpeded commerce through international waterways must be protected under international law.
