Firstpost ·
Video shows black smoke rising from oil tanker El Gaia after reported attack near Oman
One Indian sailor remains missing after a video showed black smoke billowing from the El Gaia tanker following an apparent attack near Oman, with Iran and the US giving conflicting accounts of the incident
A video that surfaced online appears to show the Panama-flagged, Qatar-owned oil tanker El Gaia surrounded by thick black smoke after an apparent attack near Oman.
Footage shared by OSINTdefender shows the El Gaia with black smoke billowing from its superstructure after the vessel was reportedly attacked off the coast of Oman on September 13.
The video has emerged amid conflicting claims over the cause of the incident. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the tanker had struck a naval mine while making an unauthorised transit. The claim has been disputed by US Central Command, which said the vessel was first hit by an Iranian missile and was later attacked by an Iranian drone off Oman.
The footage does not appear to show obvious damage to the tanker’s hull that would be consistent with a mine explosion.
The tanker was towed to an Omani port after a fire erupted in its engine room following the attack, according to Oman’s Maritime Security Centre. The vessel was approximately 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam.
Omani authorities reported that a naval vessel evacuated 23 crew members from the tanker, while two members were still missing.
One Indian sailor remain missing following the attack, while 13 other Indian crew members were rescued, the India’s Ministry of External Affairs said.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian Embassy in Oman was monitoring the situation and coordinating efforts to locate the missing sailor.
“Targeting commercial shipping is unacceptable to us,” the MEA said.
The IRGC initially attributed the incident to a naval mine, while US Central Command rejected that explanation and said the tanker had been struck by an Iranian missile before being targeted by an Iranian drone.
Centcom also accused the IRGC of presenting a false account of the incident as concerns over shipping safety continue in the region.
The conflicting accounts have added uncertainty over the circumstances surrounding the fire seen in the video and the sequence of attacks involving the tanker.