Kamal Ghorui
Amid the US-Iran conflict, an oil tanker, reportedly having 15 Indians among its 20 crew members, came under attack near the Strait of Hormuz. Four mariners were injured.Oman’s Maritime Security Centre confirmed that oil tanker Skylight — flying the flag of Palau — was targeted about 5 nautical miles north of Khasab Port. It wasn’t clear who attacked the tanker in the strait, which accounts for about one-fifth of the world’s oil flow
There were 20 crew members, including five Iranians, on the ship. According to initial information reported by the Times of Oman, four crew members suffered injuries of varying severity and were transferred to medical facilities. No death was reported. “All 20 crew members, including 15 Indian nationals and five Iranian nationals, were evacuated,” the centre said in a statement.In Dec 2025, the US Treasury sanctioned Red Sea Ship Management and Skylight, among other vessels, accusing the management company and its owner of operating a “shadow fleet” to transport Iranian petroleum products in the Gulf. Ship monitoring service Tankertrackers.com described Skylight as a small tanker that was mostly used for fuelling other vessels and had been anchored in Oman’s Musandam Governorate since Feb 22.Two ships, including Skylight, were attacked in the strait on Sunday, maritime security agencies said. A projectile hit the Marshall Islands–flagged product tanker MKD VYOM killing a crew member on board as the vessel sailed off the coast of Oman, manager V.Ships said on Sunday.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has stated that the strait is effectively closed to international navigation and warned vessels to stay away.Three vessels operated by Pakistan National Shipping Corporation were stopped on Sunday by Iran from proceeding towards the strait, the ARY News reported.
