‘Crew of Liaki Freedom Vessel Safe’: Ministry of External Affairs

India has spoken to the Master of the vessel Liaki Freedom, who confirmed that the crew members are safe, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday.

The MEA flagged the previous inputs as false reports and said, “We have spoken with the Master of the vessel Liaki Freedom, who has confirmed that all crew members are safe and that the reported information is false.”

The clarification by the Ministry of External Affairs comes shortly after it was falsely reported that several media outlets that Indians had been killed in an overnight attack on the vessel Liaki Freedom, off Oman.

According to vesseltracker.com, Liaki Freedom is a Marshall Islands-flagged tankship.

In a post on X, MEA Fact Check also warned people to stay alert against such false and baseless claims and posts on social media.

Meanwhile in the early hours of Saturday, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said he spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to convey India’s strong protest over US Navy attacks in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners.

He described such actions against commercial shipping as unjustified.

In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said, “Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.”

His remark came after the death of three Indian sailors in a US military strike on a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

The vessel, MT Settebello, came under fire on Wednesday after US forces accused it of violating the ongoing naval blockade on Iranian ports. Of the 24 Indian crew members on board, 21 were rescued, while the three others were later confirmed deceased.

On Friday, MEA summoned the US Charge d’Affaires, Jason Meeks, to lodge a strong protest against the ongoing attacks on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman.

The diplomatic move follows yet another incident yesterday, where a commercial vessel with 20 Indian crew members on board came under attack in the region. This marks the second time that the US mission has been summoned by the MEA over the escalating maritime security issue.

MEA on Thursday said that the three Indian seafarers who lost their lives in the attack on the vessel MT Settebello have been identified, and efforts are underway to bring their mortal remains to India at the earliest.

“These attacks came from the US Navy that is stationed there. As you would have seen in the various reports, as also in what was clarified through our statements and otherwise from this podium, the three ships that have been involved in the incidents are foreign-flagged,” Jaiswal said. (ANI)