Two Indian sailors dead, one missing after US ship attack off Oman, says seamen’s union
A screenshot from a video shared by the Union of Leading Seamen in India shows Settebello after the US attack.
Two Indian sailors died and one was reported missing following Wednesday’s (June 10, 2026) attack on the oil tanker Settebello by US forces off the coast of Oman, according to Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI). The government had previously said three were missing. Mr. Yadav identified the two dead as Aditya Sharma, a flight cadet, and Shivanand Chaurasiya, an engine fitter. According to him, Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh is still missing.
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Two victims including a cadet, a fitter and an engineer are reported missing…@FSUIINDIA@IMOHQ@ITFglobalunionpic.twitter.com/z8qZPYRWx1
— FSUI (@FSUIINDIA) June 10, 2026
21 Indian sailors were rescued from a vessel hit by US “precision munitions”. US Central Command said the ship “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran”.
“US Central Command (Centcom) disabled the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello as it transited the Gulf of Oman. A US aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to follow instructions from US forces,” it posted on X, adding a video of the strike.
India summoned US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Jason Meeks and lodged a “strong protest” after the attack.
— US Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 10, 2026
The attack came two days after US forces rammed the Marivex oil tanker off Oman, from which 24 Indian sailors were rescued.
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The ministry condemned Wednesday’s (June 10, 2026) incident: “Our embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating the ongoing search and rescue operation with the Omani authorities.
The website of the maritime intelligence service Lloyd’s List reported that “the tanker was one of a number of vessels waiting recently off Duqm (Oman) said to be held by the US Navy.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations previously issued an alert: “UKMTO has received a report of an incident 20 NM northeast of Sohar, Oman. Local authorities have reported a tanker fire in their engine room and are assisting with the evacuation of the crew on site. The vessel reports one casualty and two crew members missing. No environmental impact reported.” Authorities are continuing to investigate.”
‘missile strike’
Reports quoted British maritime security company Vanguard Tech as saying the ship “sent out a distress call that a missile had hit its engine room”.
The ministry’s statement called the “continued incidents of attacks on shipping in the region” “deeply troubling and a direct result of the ongoing conflict in the region”.
“The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end and free and unhindered navigation and trade through international waterways in the region must be restored as soon as possible in accordance with international law,” it said.
The ship was in China
Settebello is a sanctioned vessel on the TankerTrackers.com blacklist. Tracker websites showed the ship was in China twice, in March and April. She unloaded cargo at Lianyungang Port from 27 April to 3 May and departed Singapore on 12 May.
Published – 10 June 2026 21:15 IST