24 Indian Seafarers Rescued From Tanker MT Marivex Attacked By U.S Navy For Violating Iran Blockade

Twenty-four Indian seafarers were saved from the Palau-flagged tanker MT Marivex, struck by U.S forces with missiles off the south-eastern coast of Oman on June 8, 2026.

The vessel was sanctioned for having trade connections with Iran.

The seafarers sent a distress message at 2:00 pm IST to General Secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) Manoj Yadav, saying the U.S Navy had attacked their ship’s engine room.

The audio message said, “This is Motor Tanker Marivex. Fire on board. The vessel is sinking. U.S. Navy attacked with missile our engine room. We have a hole at the bottom.”

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement that “U.S. forces disabled (attacked) an unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, June 8, after the vessel violated the ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port.”

An F/A-18 Super Hornet from carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fired a precision munition into the ship’s engine room after the crew did not pay heed to U.S warnings.

The crew members alleged that a U.S. warship was nearby but did not respond to calls for help, nor did the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).

Video clips and other evidence provided by the seafarers confirm this statement.

Additionally, lifeboats on the ship were also hit, and the other side was not accessible due to the fire.

According to the Indian Coast Guard, MRCC Mumbai received details about the incident late in the afternoon from a relative of one of the seafarers onboard the ship.

After receiving the information, MRCC Mumbai contacted the Oman Maritime Search and Rescue Centre (OMSC) and requested it to rescue the stranded seafarers from the burning tanker.

A rescue mission saved the seafarers who had gathered to the ship’s front-end as the back was engulfed by fire.

They are currently on the Masirah Island in Oman, and will arrive in India after two days.

Marivex is one of the few vessels that had left Hormuz on April 9, just when the ceasefire came into effect. It then loaded oil from Iran’s Bandar Abbas for India’s Mangalore.