Three Indian seafarers are missing and feared dead after a US military strike hit an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday. The vessel, the MV Mero, was reportedly targeted by American forces in what the Pentagon described as a 'defensive action' against an 'imminent threat'. The ship's owner confirmed that 23 crew members were on board, with three still unaccounted for.
The missing men, all from the Indian state of Kerala, were identified as chief officer Rajesh Panicker, engine cadet Sanjay Kumar, and deck cadet Suresh Nair. Their families have not been officially informed of the incident, according to local labour union sources. The strike has raised questions about the safety of merchant seafarers in a region where geopolitical tensions are escalating.
The International Transport Workers' Federation called for an independent investigation, stating that 'the human cost of these military operations cannot be ignored.' The incident underscores the precarious nature of maritime labour, where workers from developing nations often bear the brunt of conflict they have no part in.
