New Delhi | All 24 Indian crew members of a Palau-flagged tanker that caught fire after it was attacked by the US Navy off the coast of Oman on Monday were rescued with the help of Omani authorities.
The vessel, MT Marivex, was blacklisted and sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the US Treasury Department, people familiar with the matter said.
The OFAC acts against vessels involved in violating US sanctions on the sale of Iranian and Russian oil.
The vessel caught fire after it was attacked by the US Navy off the coast of Oman.
MT Marivex is not Indian-owned and over the last few days, it made four attempts to evade the US blockade of Iranian ports, the people said.
On three occasions, the vessel turned away after repeated warnings by the US Navy, they said.
"All 24 crew members who happen to be Indian nationals are safe. They have been rescued with the help of Omani authorities," one of the people cited above said.
The vessel made another attempt to run past the blockade by using Omani territorial waters and it had switched off its signal devices to go undetected, the people said.
This pattern makes it clear that its intention was not above board, they said, adding the ship was in an "unladen state when it was disabled".
The Indian embassy in Oman thanked the local authorities for rescuing the Indian crew members of the vessel.
"We are thankful to the Omani authorities for their swift response and rescue of all the 24 crew members of Indian nationality, onboard MT Marivex, and ensuring their safety," it said in a social media post.
The incident came amid renewed hostilities between Iran and Israel.
Israel carried out air strikes in western and central Iran after Iran fired missiles at northern Israel.
"India deeply regrets the renewed attacks in West Asia. These developments are a matter of utmost concern to the international community," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
