Two Indian seafarers were killed and another remains missing after a U.S. military strike on the oil tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday (June 10, 2026), according to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI).
FSUI General Secretary Manoj Yadav identified the deceased as Aditya Sharma, a deck cadet, and Shivanand Chaurasiya, an engine fitter. Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh is still missing. The Indian government had earlier stated that all three crew members were unaccounted for following the attack.
Twenty-one Indian seafarers were rescued from the Palau-flagged vessel after it was struck by what the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) described as “precision munitions.”
In a statement posted on social media platform X, CENTCOM said it had disabled the M/T Settebello while it was transiting the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. military alleged that the tanker had violated an ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.
According to CENTCOM, a U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with instructions issued by American forces. The command also released a video purportedly showing the strike.
The incident triggered a strong diplomatic response from New Delhi. India summoned U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Jason Meeks and lodged a “strong protest” over the attack and the loss of Indian lives.
The strike on Settebello comes just two days after another U.S. operation targeted the oil tanker Marivex off the coast of Oman. In that incident, 24 Indian sailors were rescued.
The back-to-back attacks have raised concerns over the safety of Indian seafarers operating in the region amid escalating tensions involving maritime oil shipments.
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