Muscat: Another fire incident has been reported aboard a vessel carrying an Indian crew near Shinas Port off the coast of Oman. The ship, MT Jalveer, had 20 crew members on board, according to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India.

The incident marks the third such case this week involving vessels with Indian seafarers, after the US military confirmed attacks on MT Marivex and MT Settebello. Both ships had Indian nationals among their crew.

The Indian Embassy in Oman confirmed the latest incident, saying it was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities to gather further details.

“We have learnt of an incident involving a vessel off Shinas Port of Oman earlier today. We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the local authorities for further details,” the embassy said in a post on X.

According to Iran’s Mehr news agency, five of the 20 crew members were rescued by passing vessels and taken to Oman.

Third Ship Targeted

MT Jalveer is the third vessel with Indian crew members to face an attack near Oman in recent days.

Earlier, three Indian sailors were reported missing after the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello was attacked by US forces off the Oman coast. The US military said it had fired on the tanker for allegedly attempting to violate its blockade on Iranian oil shipments.

Before that, on Monday, a fire broke out aboard MT Marivex, which was carrying 24 Indian seafarers south of the Strait of Hormuz, following an attack on the vessel.

The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy supplies, has remained almost completely blocked since the start of the Middle East conflict, which escalated after US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

Diplomatic efforts during a fragile ceasefire in recent weeks have failed to produce an agreement to reopen the strategic waterway.

While Iran has maintained a blockade of the shipping route since the conflict began, the US has also imposed its own competing restrictions since April.