Palau-flagged oil tanker, blacklisted by US, made 4 attempts to evade Hormuz blockade: Sources

New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): The oil tanker MT Marivex, carrying 24 Indian crew members and which reported a fire incident earlier on Monday, is a Palau-flagged vessel that is blacklisted and sanctioned by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and is not Indian-owned, sources said.

According to the sources, the vessel had made four attempts to evade a US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, and on Monday, during the fourth attempt, the vessel allegedly tried to pass through Omani territorial waters and switched off its signal devices to avoid detection.

“This pattern makes it clear that its intention was not above board. The ship was in an unladen state when it was disabled,” sources said.

Despite the incident, all 24 Indian crew members were safely rescued with the assistance of Omani authorities.

Earlier in the day, all 24 Indian crew members aboard the MT Marivex were safely rescued by Omani authorities after a fire incident on a Madagascar-flagged vessel, the Indian Embassy in Muscat said.

In a post on X, the embassy expressed gratitude to the Omani authorities for their prompt action in ensuring the safety of the Indian nationals.

“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,” the Embassy of India in Muscat said.

The rescue comes hours after the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) confirmed a fire incident aboard MT Marivex in the south of the Strait of Hormuz.

Addressing an interministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, Director in the Shipping Division, Opesh Kumar Sharma, said the fire was reported at around 1:30 pm today.

He said the Ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions abroad, and the Indian Navy and Ministry of Defence to ensure the safety of the seafarers.

“We are in touch with the owners, and we are trying to ascertain the facts. We are also in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and our mission in Oman,” he added.

On whether the ship was hit by a projectile, Sharma said, “So whether the ship was hit by a projectile or not, presently we are trying to get absolute information. As you are aware, the fire incident was at 1:30 today.”

“The vessel was well out of the Strait of Hormuz and well clear to the south,” he added.

According to the shipping ministry, the vessel, an oil tanker, was not carrying any cargo and was in ballast condition. (ANI)

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