Distress Call Following US Missile Strike on Tanker Marivex
The Indian crew aboard the sanctioned oil tanker Marivex issued an urgent distress call requesting assistance after the vessel was struck by a US missile off the coast of Oman on Monday. The crew reported that the ship was on fire and sinking, as confirmed in a distress communication shared with BBC Verify.
US Central Command (Centcom) stated that the Marivex had breached its blockade of Iranian ports. After the crew did not comply with US directives, a "precision munition" was launched against the ship.
All 24 crew members were safely rescued by the Omani military, according to Indian authorities.
Centcom noted that Marivex is the seventh vessel disabled by US forces for violating the blockade.
The US military has imposed a blockade on Iran's ports following Tehran's effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for approximately 20% of the world's oil and gas shipments.
Details of the Incident and Response
Opesh Kumar Sharma from India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways reported that a fire erupted on the tanker, which was not carrying oil at the time, around 13:30 India Standard Time (08:00 GMT). He did not provide further details regarding the fire's cause.
Centcom later confirmed that an F-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, operating from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, "fired a precision munition into the ship's engineering and steering spaces."
Images provided to BBC Verify by a crew member depict a vessel resembling a US San Antonio-class warship sailing past Marivex following the strike.
With its engine disabled and fire spreading onboard, the crew began transmitting distress signals.
"Sir, this is motor tanker Miravex ... we have a fire on board and vessel is sinking," a crew member stated in a distress call obtained by BBC Verify through the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI).
"US Navy attack, the missile on our engine room. We have hole at the bottom ... 24 crew. All crew Indian. Please help quickly, we need immediate help," the call continued.
The FSUI reported receiving the distress calls at 14:15 IST (08:45 GMT) and subsequently posted a video taken by the crew on the social media platform X, indicating the ship's position approximately 28 kilometers (17 miles) off Oman's coast.
The All India Seafarers Union also confirmed receiving distress communications from a crew member shortly after the fire began.
India's Embassy in Oman responded to the FSUI's post on X at 09:13 GMT, seeking additional information about the incident.
Flight tracking data indicates that a Royal Air Force of Oman helicopter departed from an air base on Masirah Island at approximately 09:55 GMT and arrived near Marivex's location just over 20 minutes later.
Verified video footage shows the crew being airlifted from the tanker into the helicopter. The helicopter matches one depicted in a photograph later shared by the FSUI, showing the rescued crew on Masirah Island.
Centcom did not respond to BBC Verify's inquiry regarding whether they had coordinated with Omani or Indian authorities prior to the missile strike.
Background on Marivex and Sanctions
Marivex was previously known as Arihant and has been sanctioned by the US due to its connections with Iran. The US has also sanctioned the ship's owner, Arihant Shipping Inc., accusing the vessel of transporting "hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian fuel oil and bitumen within the Gulf since July 2025."
Ship tracking data reveals that Marivex last docked at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas in early April, where it loaded cargo before sailing to the Indian west coast cities of Mangaluru and Karwar, according to MarineTraffic data.
Following this, the vessel crossed back over the Arabian Sea and spent much of May and early June navigating along Oman's coastline, appearing multiple times in satellite imagery.
Centcom stated that Marivex was unladen at the time and had "violated the ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port."
Additional reporting by Shruti Menon
