U.S. attacks third ship with Indian seafarers; crew safe

US forces attacked a merchant ship carrying Indian sailors for the third time in four days. The attack on Thursday, June 11, 2026 was on a Guinea-Bissau flagged bitumen carrier jalveer Off the coast of Oman’s Shinas port.

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Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said that there were 20 Indian sailors on board and they were safe. “According to the latest information, evacuation [of crew] “Services to Shinas port have started,” Mr. Mangal said at the inter-ministerial briefing on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, and submitted a “strong protest” regarding the attacks.

On Thursday, June 11, 2026, the Ministry emphasized that “the attacks came from the US Navy stationed there” and called the attacks “extremely worrying”, but blamed the attacks on the ongoing conflict between the US-Israel and Iran in the region.

US Centcom said in a statement that two Hellfire missiles were fired. Jalveer’s engine room “as the crew repeatedly failed to comply with US forces instructions.” The ship was attacked on the grounds that it was “trying to carry Iranian oil”.

jalveerAccording to the Equasis database, the company’s chief security officer is an Indian company headquartered in Chembur, Mumbai.

US planes attacked tankers flying Palauan flags Marivex And Settebello on Mondays and Wednesdays respectively. Three Indian sailors Settebello He died in the attack, which the Indian government confirmed on Thursday, June 11.

All three attacks targeted the ships’ engine rooms and sometimes the steering compartment, but above the waterline. This will deprive the ship of the ability to move or maneuver, but will not sink it.

In mid-February, the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs issued an advisory asking seafarers’ recruiters and ship owners not to assign sailors to ships calling at Iranian ports. An official source said crews on three ships attended before the advice was issued.

Three missing Indian sailors aboard MT Settebello confirmed dead: Sonowal

Family members of deck cadet seaman Aditya Sharma (23) Settebello The person who was among the dead appealed to the Himachal Pradesh government and the Center where they lived to send his body back to his local village of Galore in Hamirpur so that his last rites could be performed. They said Sharma had planned to visit home in May but decided to extend his stay on the ship by a month.

Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said that efforts are continuing to bring the bodies of the deceased to India as soon as possible.

Parties condemned the attacks

While the attacks were condemned by various sections of the political class, both the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) “strongly” condemned it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi “has repeatedly cited his personal relationship with President Donald Trump as a diplomatic success,” the Congress statement said, adding: “(Mr. Modi) cannot escape responsibility when that relationship fails to protect India’s lives and interests.”

CPI(M) called the attacks “illegal US attacks”. “The government should issue a strong condemnation and demand full responsibility for the loss of Indian lives. It should intervene and pressure the US to stop its attacks in West Asia, lift the blockade near the Strait of Hormuz, and restore free movement,” the statement said.

(Inputs from Kallol Bhattacherjee, M. Kalyanaraman and PTI)