Three Indian Sailors Killed as US Strikes Tanker in Gulf of Oman

They were just doing their jobs. Now three families are waiting for bodies to come home.

Arjun Mehta
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The MT Settebello came under attack on Wednesday with 24 Indian crew on board, and 21 were rescued.
India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the three men’s bodies would be brought home soon.

The US has struck three ships in the Gulf this week, all with Indian crew on board.
On Thursday Delhi said all 20 crew on the Jalveer were safe after a strike off Oman.
Three days earlier the 24 Indian crew on the sanctioned oil tanker Marivex were rescued before it sank, and Centcom confirmed it struck both ships.

India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Additional Secretary Mukesh Mangal named the three seamen who died as Aditya Sharma, a cadet, Shivanand Chaurashiya, a fitter, and Patnala Suresh, a chief engineer.

The US Central Command said one of its aircraft fired precision munitions into the engine room of the tanker after the crew repeatedly failed to follow directions.
On Monday US forces hit The Marivex, also a Palau flagged oil tanker, in the Gulf of Oman after it failed to comply with US instructions.
All 24 crew were rescued by the Omani military, Indian authorities said.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said when the Settebello was struck India lodged a strong protest with the US.
He said they called in the American chargé d’affaires and informed them of their deepest concerns about the ongoing incidents of attacks.
On Thursday the ministry confirmed a third vessel, the Guinea-Bissau flagged MT Jalveer, had come under attack in the vicinity of Shinas port in Oman, and the Royal Navy of Oman was helping evacuate the crew.

Although the three vessels were foreign flagged a majority of their crew were Indians.

Rajesh Sharma, father of cadet Aditya Sharma who died in the strike, told Source the family was waiting for his body to be returned.
He said his son was due to come home in May but his duty got extended, and he last spoke to him on Sunday.
He questioned why the captain of the tanker chose to go near the Strait of Hormuz and called for an inquiry, demanding to know who is responsible for the deaths and that the circumstances must be investigated.

The US military blocked access to Iran’s ports after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing conflict.
US forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since initiating the blockade on 13 April according to Centcom.
The Indian government has maintained that targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end.

Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, told Source they had begun reaching out to the families of the sailors to inform them about their deaths.
He told The Economic Times newspaper he refused to believe the US lacked information regarding the nationalities of the people on board those ships, adding that if the ships failed to heed instructions detaining them was a viable alternative.

According to India’s shipping ministry there are presently 562 Indian seafarers on Indian flagged vessels including 329 in the Gulf region west of Hormuz and 233 in the Gulf of Oman east of Hormuz.
There are more than 18,000 Indian seafarers in total in the whole Gulf region.

Meanwhile tensions between Iran and the US show no sign of easing, with both countries exchanging strikes for a second consecutive day.
On Wednesday President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran hard, saying it was taking too long to sign a peace deal and was playing Americans for suckers.
The war began on 28 February after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader, and Iran responded by launching attacks on Israel and US allied states in the Gulf.

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