Tanker Management Firm Disputes US Version of Attack That Killed Three Indian Sailors in Gulf

New Delhi:

Port Wings News Network:

A visual of the commercial vessel MT Jalveer, with Indian seafarers reportedly on board, attacked off the coast of Oman near the Shinas Port (Image credit: Gulf News)

The managers of the tanker MT Settebello have challenged the US military’s account of the strike that killed three Indian sailors and demanded an independent international investigation into the attack, while India’s largest seafarers’ union called for accountability over a series of US actions against merchant vessels carrying Indian crew members in the Gulf region, according to a news report published by The Wire.

The statements came on the day that three Indian crew members who had been reported missing following the strike on the Palau-flagged tanker were formally confirmed dead.

In a statement issued on 11 June 2026, Dubai-based IOS Marine FZE, which manages Settebello, said it “unequivocally” held the US Navy responsible for the actions that led to the deaths of three people connected to the vessel.

“We unequivocally hold the United States Navy responsible for the actions that led to the deaths of three individuals connected to the Motor Tanker Settebello,” the company said.

The company directly challenged the US account of the incident, saying there had been no successful attempt to communicate with the vessel before force was used.

“To the best of our knowledge and based on information available to us, no warning call, message or communication was ever successfully established with the vessel prior to the actions taken against it. No contact whatsoever was made with the vessel as has been publicly alleged,” it said.

IOS Marine called on US authorities to publicly release any evidence showing that communication had been established with the vessel before the strike.

The company also rejected suggestions that the tanker had any connection to Iran. “The vessel is a civilian merchant vessel engaged in legitimate commercial operations. It has no affiliation whatsoever with Iran or Iranian oil,” it said.

According to IOS Marine, Settebello had remained stationary for around ten days before the attack and was “not undertaking any manoeuvres that could reasonably justify the use of military force”.

The company said the incident had caused losses exceeding $35 million and left the vessel requiring extensive repairs, with towing to the Far East likely to be necessary before it could return to service.

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Calling for accountability, transparency and justice, IOS Marine demanded a “full, independent and transparent international investigation” into the circumstances of the strike, including the communications allegedly issued beforehand and the decision-making process that led to the use of force.

The three deceased sailors were identified as deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya and chief engineer Patnala Suresh.

Aditya’s father, Rajesh Sharma, told the Indian Express that his son had spoken about warnings from US forces before the incident. “On a WhatsApp call Sunday [7 June], he told me that they got at least two warnings from the US Navy in the past fortnight,” he was quoted as saying.

Patnala Suresh’s wife, Bhargavi, told PTI that the chief engineer’s final message before the attack was, “Good night. Take care of the children.” The 44-year-old marine engineer from Visakhapatnam had been expected home later this month after nearly five months at sea.

“We were four; now we have become three,” she said. According to the family, Suresh had already received his relieving letter and was awaiting a replacement before returning home. The family had been looking forward to his return ahead of their 15th wedding anniversary on June 24.

The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) also demanded an independent investigation into attacks on merchant vessels carrying Indian crew members.

“The continuous targeting of commercial vessels operating in conflict-affected waters has transformed civilian shipping routes into dangerous zones where innocent maritime workers are increasingly becoming victims of geopolitical and military confrontations,” the union said.

“Seafarers are workers. They are not soldiers. They do not participate in wars, military operations or geopolitical confrontations.”

The union called for a thorough international inquiry into the attacks and urged governments and maritime authorities to establish safe corridors for commercial shipping and strengthen protections for seafarers operating in high-risk regions.

The statements came amid three incidents involving merchant vessels carrying Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman since June 8.

A Palau-flagged tanker, MT Marivex, carrying 24 Indian seafarers, was struck by US forces on 8 June, though all crew members were rescued. Settebello was struck on June 10, leaving three Indian sailors dead. A third vessel, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged MT Jalveer, was also struck by US forces and all 20 India sailors evacuated onshore.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on 11 June that Jalveer was hit after a US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into its engine room. The American military claimed the vessel had repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces and described it as the third commercial ship it had rendered inoperable during the week.

India had already lodged a diplomatic protest with Washington over the attack on Settebello.

At a joint-ministerial media briefing on Thursday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had summoned US embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks and registered a strong protest over the incident. “We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community. When this particular attack on the ship MT Settebello occurred, we lodged a strong protest with the American side,” Jaiswal said.

“We summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires and he was conveyed our deepest concern over the ongoing incidents of attacks. We also registered our strong protest.”

Jaiswal said India had conveyed that dialogue and diplomacy remained the way forward for the peaceful resolution of the conflict and that there should be unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law.

“The continuing attacks on shipping in the region are deeply worrisome and are a direct consequence of the ongoing conflict there. These attacks must cease,” he said.

The spokesperson said the three vessels involved in the incidents were foreign-flagged and not Indian-owned. He added that two of them were subject to sanctions administered by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, while another had been classified as non-compliant.

Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mukesh Mangal said that more than 18,000 Indian seafarers remain in the Gulf region, including 562 crew members aboard 13 Indian-flagged vessels. Of these, 329 are on ships west of the Strait of Hormuz and 233 are operating in the Gulf of Oman. He said the Seamen Welfare Fund Society had been directed to provide Rs 10 lakh to the family of each deceased sailor.

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