US-sanctioned tanker with 15 Indians onboard attacked off Oman coast; 4 crew injured

A Palau-flagged oil tanker under United States sanctions was hit on Sunday off Oman’s Musandam peninsula, injuring four crew members, the country’s Maritime Security Centre said.

The vessel, identified as Skylight, was struck about five nautical miles north of Khasab Port on the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Authorities did not specify what hit the tanker.

The 20-member crew — comprising 15 Indian and five Iranian nationals — was evacuated following the incident. Initial information indicated injuries of varying severity to four personnel, the Maritime Security Centre said in a post on X.

The development comes amid an escalation in regional tensions following retaliatory strikes by Tehran on Gulf states after joint United States-Israeli attacks on Iran. The incidents mark the first time targets in or near Oman have been hit in the current phase of hostilities.

According to shipping data from London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), Skylight is registered to Sea Force Inc and managed by Red Sea Ship Management LLC. Both companies could not be immediately reached for comment.

The United States Treasury in December 2025 sanctioned Red Sea Ship Management and Skylight, among other vessels, alleging that they were part of a “shadow fleet” transporting Iranian petroleum products.

Ship monitoring service Tankertrackers.com described Skylight as a small tanker primarily used for fuelling other vessels and said it had been anchored in Musandam governorate since 22 February.

Separately, Oman’s state news agency reported that the commercial port at Duqm on the Arabian Sea was struck by two drones earlier on Sunday, injuring one expatriate worker.

Debris from another drone reportedly fell near fuel storage tanks at Duqm, but no additional casualties or material losses were recorded, the agency said.

Musandam peninsula shares control of the Strait of Hormuz with Iran — a key global energy chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption flows. Any disruption in the area is closely monitored by international energy markets and maritime security agencies.