Three Indians missing after U.S. attack on ship off Oman

Three Indians were “reported missing” following the attack on the oil tanker Settebello off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

21 Indian sailors were rescued from the ship hit by US “precision munitions”. US Central Command said the ship “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.”

“U.S. Central Command (Centcom) disabled the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello while it was transiting the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with instructions from American forces,” it said, adding a video of the attack.

Following the attack, India made a ‘strong protest’ by calling US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Jason Meeks.

The attack came two days after US forces hit the oil tanker Marivex off the coast of Oman, from which 24 Indian sailors were rescued.

West Asia war: Follow LIVE updates from June 10, 2026

Condemning Wednesday’s incident, the Ministry said, “Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and is proactively coordinating with Omani authorities in the ongoing Search and Rescue operation.” he said.

Maritime intelligence website Lloyd’s List said the “tanker is one of many ships recently reported to be held by the US Navy and lying off the coast of Duqm (Oman).”

Previously, UK Merchant Marine Operations had sent an alert saying: “UKMTO received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar, Oman. Local authorities reported a fire had broken out in the engine room of a tanker and were on scene to assist in the evacuation of the crew. One dead and two crew members were reported missing on board. No environmental impacts were reported. Authorities continue to investigate.”

The government has not confirmed any deaths.

‘Missile attack’

Reports quoted British maritime security company Vanguard Tech as saying the ship “sent a distress call indicating that the engine room had been hit by a missile.”

The Advanced Seamen’s Association of India published: X“24 Indians and 4 foreign nationals in MT Settebello again? USA again?”

An official said the union had been unable to communicate with seafarers.

The Ministry’s statement stated that “the ongoing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region are extremely worrying and are a direct result of the ongoing conflict in the region.”

The statement said, “Targeting commercial maritime and civilian infrastructure in the region should be stopped, and free and unhindered navigation and trade in international waterways in the region in accordance with international law should be re-established as soon as possible.”

The ship went to China

Settebello is a sanctioned ship according to TankerTrackers.com’s blacklist. Tracking sites showed the ship went to China twice in March and April. It unloaded its cargo at Lianyungang port from 27 April to 3 May and set sail from Singapore on 12 May.