Container Ship Sinks In Arabian Sea Near Oman As Regional Conflict Worsens

Oman’s Maritime Security Centre (MSC)—a 24/7 national operations hub overseen by the Royal Navy of Oman and coordinated by the Ministry of Defense—reported early Saturday on X that a container ship had sunk in the Arabian Sea off the country’s coast.

The MV ‘Phoenix 15’, registered under the Comoros flag, sank approximately 20 NM southeast of Salalah. All 20 crew members were rescued by the nearby commercial MV ‘Gulf Barakah.

— مركز الأمن البحري| MARITIME SECURITY CENTRE (@OMAN_MSC) June 21, 2025

MSC reported that MV’ Phoenix 15′, a 118-meter container ship registered under the Comoros flag, “sank approximately 20 NM southeast of Salalah,” adding, “All 20 crew members were rescued by the nearby commercial MV’ Gulf Barakah.”

Ship tracking website Marine Traffic showed the last position of Phoenix 15 was off the coast of Salalah, near Yemen, in the highly contested waters of the Arabian Sea. 

While MSC or any other officials in the region have not yet disclosed the cause of the Phoenix 15’s sinking—whether due to mechanical failure, human error, or a possible attack—the incident raises suspicion given its timing, occurring as the Israel–Iran conflict enters its ninth day and heightening concerns over potential threats to regional shipping lanes, such as the critical maritime chokepoints across the region.