New Delhi: The US has confirmed “disabling” an oil tanker on June 10 off the coast of Oman. In a statement on X, CENTCOM, the central command of the US military, said Thursday (June 11), that it had “acted against” the Guinea-Bissau flagged MT Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran. “A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces,” it said.The statement confirmed Jalveer was the third commercial ship “disabled by American forces this week”.Earlier today, all three Indian sailors reported missing after a previous US military strike on the tanker MT Settebello, also in the Gulf of Oman, were confirmed dead. At the time, Indian authorities were monitoring a fresh maritime incident off the Omani coast with Indian crew members.There have been three confirmed incidents reported in the Gulf of Oman since Monday, June 8, involving ships carrying Indian sailors. The first involved the tanker MT Marivex, which was “disabled” by US forces. The second was the June 11 strike on the Palau-flagged MT Settebello, which left three Indians dead. The third concerns MT Jalveer, after reports emerged of a fire aboard a tanker off Shinas port in Oman.Reports have identified the deceased aboard MT Jalveer as deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya and chief engineer Patnala Suresh. In a post on X, shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal described the incident as “deeply unfortunate” and said arrangements were being made to bring back both the rescued crew members and the bodies of the deceased.“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” he wrote.“This is a profound loss to our maritime family. The Modi Govt stands firmly with the bereaved during this difficult hour and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin.”The minister said officials had been directed to ensure the immediate repatriation of the survivors and the return of the bodies for final rites.CENTCOM claimed in the statement issued June 11 that it has “disabled nine non-compliant vessels, redirected 135 ships that complied and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass since initiating the blockade on April 13”.‘All foreign-owned ships’: MEAMEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has acknowledged the spate of attacks on Indian vessels.“We have seen several incidents involving Indian seafarers in West Asia over the last few days. We attach the highest importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community, and there is no need to re-emphasise this point. Yesterday, we condemned the attack on a ship off the coast of Oman in which, unfortunately, three Indian nationals lost their lives. We had summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires to register a strong protest. 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, and we reiterate our call for dialogue and diplomacy to ensure an early return to peace and stability in the region,” he said, according to the PTI.Another news agency quoted Jaiswal as having said, “The three ships that have been involved in the incidents are foreign-flagged. They are not Indian owned ships; they are all foreign flagships.”The general secretary of Forward Seamens Union of India, Manoj Yadav, has been quoted by ANI as having said that he refuses to believe that the US did not know that the tanker had Indians on it. “I absolutely refuse to believe that the US lacked information regarding the nationalities of the people on board those ships. That is simply not possible… I am 101% certain that US naval forces knew exactly how many Indians and foreign nationals were on those vessels… If the ships failed to heed their instructions, detaining them was a viable alternative…”The deaths come less than a day after India summoned the US embassy’s deputy chief of mission, Jason Meeks, to protest the attack on MT Settebello, which took place around 20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar, Oman.‘Rescue from Jalveer soon to be completed’Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Muscat said it was monitoring a separate incident involving a vessel off Shinas port, Oman.“We have learnt of an incident involving a vessel off Shinas port of Oman, earlier today. We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the local authorities for further details,” the embassy said on X on Thursday.The embassy later, at around 2.39 pm IST, said that the evacuation of the crew from MT Jalveer to Shinas port is being coordinated with assistance from Royal Navy of Oman, and “shall soon be completed.”A couple of hours later, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued a notice that said local authorities had informed it that a tanker had experienced a fire in its engine room about 21 nautical miles northeast of Sohar. The advisory said no environmental damage had been reported and that authorities were continuing to investigate the incident.