A US Navy fighter jet fired a precision munition at the oil tanker MT Marivex in the Gulf of Oman on June 8, disabling the vessel and triggering a fire that forced all 24 crew members to issue a distress call and evacuate. The Indian-owned, Palau-flagged tanker had allegedly attempted to reach an Iranian port in violation of an ongoing US blockade, making it the seventh ship targeted by American forces in the Strait of Hormuz corridor.
Every crew member, all Indian nationals, was rescued without injury. Omani and Indian authorities coordinated the evacuation, bringing the sailors to safety at Masirah Island off Oman’s eastern coast.
What happened in the Gulf of Oman
US Central Command confirmed that an F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln carried out the strike. The tanker had reportedly disregarded US instructions to change course, continuing toward Iran despite warnings.
The MT Marivex, built in 2009 and carrying the IMO number 9464156, was unladen at the time of the engagement. The ship was empty, carrying no oil cargo, which meant the fire posed no immediate environmental threat from a spill.
