UKMTO SAYS GFS GALAXY CREW ABANDONED SHIP AND WERE RESCUED; INDIA SAYS ONE INDIAN NATIONAL STILL MISSING

The crew of the M/V GFS Galaxy abandoned the damaged container ship into a lifeboat and were rescued by local authorities, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said early Sunday, according to reporting by CNN and Reuters. India's Ministry of External Affairs said 11 Indian nationals were aboard the Cyprus-flagged vessel, that 10 had been rescued and that one remained missing, and said India's embassy in Oman was coordinating with Omani authorities on the search and rescue operation. The ship was left unable to continue its journey after a fire and engine-room damage sustained late Saturday as it transited the Strait of Hormuz.

The two sides describe the incident very differently. U.S. Central Command said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "blatantly attacked" the GFS Galaxy, causing an onboard fire and significant engine-room damage and leaving one civilian crew member missing, and said the attack was what prompted the third round of U.S. strikes on Iran this week, launched at 7:15 p.m. ET Saturday. India's Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack on the vessel, said continuing attacks on commercial shipping in the region are "deeply worrisome," and called for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution.

Iran has given a different account. Through the IRGC and Iranian state media, Tehran has said it fired on a vessel that had switched off its tracking system and strayed from routes it has approved, and it has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice and until U.S. operations in the region end. Iran has not confirmed CENTCOM's description of the damage to the ship and has not addressed the missing crew member. Mission Offline has not independently verified either side's account of how the vessel was struck.

Still unconfirmed: the fate of the missing crew member, whom India identified as an Indian national and whom CENTCOM described only as a missing civilian; the total size and nationality breakdown of the ship's crew, which neither UKMTO nor CENTCOM has released; and the current condition and position of the vessel itself. Mission Offline has not confirmed the total number of people who were aboard. What to watch next: whether the search off Oman locates the missing crew member, whether the ship's operator or Cyprus issues a statement, and whether the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is independently confirmed or lifted.

Fact-check date: July 12, 2026
Article type: Breaking / Developing
Sources: United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO); U.S. Central Command; India's Ministry of External Affairs; Reuters; CNN; CBS News