Fire on oil products tanker off Oman coast, all 24 Indian seafarers safe: Govt
Even as the incident comes amid renewed attacks in West Asia, particularly between Iran and Israel, Marivex was well outside the Strait of Hormuz area, and South of the Gulf of Oman, in waters off Oman's east coast.
All 24 Indian seafarers on board the foreign-flagged oil products tanker, Marivex, have been safely evacuated and taken to Oman after an incident of fire was reported on board around 1.30 pm Monday, a senior Shipping Ministry official said.
Even as the incident came amid renewed attacks in West Asia, particularly between Iran and Israel, Marivex was well outside the Strait of Hormuz area where maritime security has been a major concern. When the fire was reported, Marivex was south of the Gulf of Oman, in waters off Oman’s east coast.
However, according to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), one of the seafarers on board the vessel informed the union that the Marivex was hit by a missile, also damaging a couple of its lifeboats. The vessel sent out distress calls, stating it was on fire and needed to be evacuated, after which evacuation of the stranded seafarers began, as per information posted by the FSUI on X. The Embassy of India in Muscat posted on X that it was in touch with the Omani authorities for the seafarers’ rescue and safety.
Shipping Ministry Director, Opesh Kumar Sharma, said the cause of the fire was not known yet and was being looked into. “Whether the ship was hit by a projectile or not, presently we are trying to get the updated information…We are in touch with the owners. We are trying to ascertain the facts,” Sharma said. As per preliminary information, the tanker was not carrying any cargo.
The initial distress call from Marivex is learnt to have alleged that the attack was by the US Navy, although there was no confirmation from the government. The US is running its own blockade of Iranian ports using warships in the Gulf of Oman. According to vessel tracking data from MarineTraffic, Marivex was sailing to Oman’s Duqm.
“There has been a recent report that today (Monday) around 1.30 pm, there has been a fire reported on the vessel MT Marivex, in which there were 24 Indian seafarers. This is the preliminary information we have received, based on which, as per available information, all Indian seafarers are presently safe. We are coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, our Indian missions abroad, Indian Navy, and the Ministry of Defence to ensure their safety,” Sharma said.
According to Sharma, the vessel’s owner informed that Marivex was sailing under the flag of Madagascar. However, global shipping database Equasis lists the vessel’s flag as a false flag, which suggests that the ship may have wrongly claimed it was sailing under the Madagascar flag. MarineTraffic lists Marivex as Palau-flagged. According to the Equasis database, Marivex is owned and operated by Panama-based Arihant Shipping Inc, and was built in 2009.
All 24 Indian seafarers on board the foreign-flagged oil products tanker, Marivex, have been safely evacuated and taken to Oman after an incident of fire was reported on board around 1.30 pm Monday, a senior Shipping Ministry official said.
Even as the incident came amid renewed attacks in West Asia, particularly between Iran and Israel, Marivex was well outside the Strait of Hormuz area where maritime security has been a major concern. When the fire was reported, Marivex was south of the Gulf of Oman, in waters off Oman’s east coast.
However, according to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), one of the seafarers on board the vessel informed the union that the Marivex was hit by a missile, also damaging a couple of its lifeboats. The vessel sent out distress calls, stating it was on fire and needed to be evacuated, after which evacuation of the stranded seafarers began, as per information posted by the FSUI on X. The Embassy of India in Muscat posted on X that it was in touch with the Omani authorities for the seafarers’ rescue and safety.
Shipping Ministry Director, Opesh Kumar Sharma, said the cause of the fire was not known yet and was being looked into. “Whether the ship was hit by a projectile or not, presently we are trying to get the updated information…We are in touch with the owners. We are trying to ascertain the facts,” Sharma said. As per preliminary information, the tanker was not carrying any cargo.
The initial distress call from Marivex is learnt to have alleged that the attack was by the US Navy, although there was no confirmation from the government. The US is running its own blockade of Iranian ports using warships in the Gulf of Oman. According to vessel tracking data from MarineTraffic, Marivex was sailing to Oman’s Duqm.
“There has been a recent report that today (Monday) around 1.30 pm, there has been a fire reported on the vessel MT Marivex, in which there were 24 Indian seafarers. This is the preliminary information we have received, based on which, as per available information, all Indian seafarers are presently safe. We are coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, our Indian missions abroad, Indian Navy, and the Ministry of Defence to ensure their safety,” Sharma said.
According to Sharma, the vessel’s owner informed that Marivex was sailing under the flag of Madagascar. However, global shipping database Equasis lists the vessel’s flag as a false flag, which suggests that the ship may have wrongly claimed it was sailing under the Madagascar flag. MarineTraffic lists Marivex as Palau-flagged. According to the Equasis database, Marivex is owned and operated by Panama-based Arihant Shipping Inc, and was built in 2009.
