US warplane – A U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet disabled an unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel allegedly tried to run an ongoing blockade against Iran’s ports. The tanker, M/T Marivex, was later reported on fire. Indian officials say all 24 Indian seafarers we
The Gulf of Oman went quiet only for a moment before a fire aboard an oil tanker changed the stakes for 24 Indian sailors.
On Monday, an unladen vessel identified as MT Marivex was disabled in the Gulf of Oman after U.S. military action, and later caught fire, according to officials. The U.S. military said an F/A-18 Super Hornet fired a precision munition at the ship after it allegedly violated an ongoing blockade of Iran’s ports and did not comply with directions from U.S. forces.
U.S. officials said the tanker was disabled on June 8 after it violated the blockade by attempting to sail to an Iranian port. They added that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled the Palau-flagged M/T Marivex while it transited international waters in the Gulf of Oman toward Iran. The account is specific: an F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fired into the vessel’s engineering and steering spaces after the crew failed to follow directions from U.S. forces. U.S. officials said Marivex is no longer sailing to Iran.
While the U.S. side did not describe the moment of fire in the same terms. Indian officials said the immediate priority was getting the crew out. Indian officials, while not acknowledging that the U.S. warplane hit the vessel, said all 24 Indian seafarers on board were safely evacuated with help from Omani authorities. A shipping ministry official said the vessel was not Indian-owned and was reportedly blacklisted by U.S. OFAC.
The details surrounding how the ship tried to move tell part of the story. Sources said the ship made multiple attempts in recent days to evade U.S. naval warnings. including switching off tracking signals and entering Omani waters after which it was “disabled.” On June 8. the vessel made another attempt to run past the blockade by using Omani territorial waters. It switched off its signal devices to go undetected, according to sources.
“This pattern makes it clear that its intention was not above board. The ship was in an unladen state when it was disabled,” said a source on condition of anonymity.
India’s Embassy in Muscat confirmed the safe evacuation of all crew members and thanked Omani authorities for their swift response. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Earlier on Monday, before the U.S. details were laid out, the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) had sought urgent assistance for the 24 Indian seafarers aboard the vessel amid heightened tensions in the region linked to the Israel-Iran conflict. At the time, the cause was not known.
The sequence of events leaves the human impact clear even as the strategic argument remains contested: 24 sailors were on board a tanker tied to a sanctions and blockade dispute. and their safety depended on rapid evacuation after a disabling strike near Oman. With investigations continuing. the dispute over what the ship was attempting to do—how often it tried. and what signals it turned off—will likely remain central to how this incident is understood.
US warplane Oman Gulf of Oman MT Marivex F/A-18 Super Hornet CENTCOM USS Abraham Lincoln Iranian port blockade OFAC blacklist Indian seafarers evacuated Omani authorities Palau-flagged tanker
So basically they shot the ship and then everyone just got out? Sounds wild.
I don’t get it, if it was just “trying to run a blockade” why are we acting like it’s some accident? Also “not Indian-owned” but 24 Indians evacuated… so were they workers or something?
They fired a precision munition into the engineering and steering, then it caught fire later. That’s literally how you disable something, right? Or am I missing the part where it magically caught fire by itself.
This is why you can’t trust “blockades” like they’re normal. Next thing you know, another tanker is gonna be on fire and people are gonna say it was “allegedly” doing whatever. Also OFAC blacklisted?? so like did the crew even know? I feel bad for the sailors no matter whose flag it is.