Around 18,000 Indian seafarers remain in the Gulf region, including 562 crew members aboard 13 Indian-flagged ships, as tensions escalated after US President Donald Trump warned Iran would be hit "very hard tonight" and US forces continued a blockade of Iranian ports.
Three hundred twenty-nine of these seafarers are on vessels west of the Strait of Hormuz and 233 are on vessels in the Gulf of Oman, ministry of external affairs (MEA) Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday.
The situation becomes worrisome for families back home given that President Trump said the US will hit Iran "very hard tonight" and will soon take control of the Middle Eastern country's oil and gas infrastructure and markets
"At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Earlier on Thursday, Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said three Indian seafarers who were reported missing after a US military strike on the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman were dead.
Jaiswal said that India lodged a “strong protest” with the US and summoned its Chargé d'Affaires over the incident, even as US Central Command admitted its aircraft fired "precision munitions" into the vessel.
Addressing a news conference, ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “I had said that we attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community…When this particular attack on the ship MT Settebello occurred, we lodged a strong protest with the American side. We summoned the US Chargé d'Affaires and conveyed our deepest concern over the ongoing incidents of attacks. We also registered our strong protest with them.
We emphasised that the welfare of our seafaring community is of utmost importance and that these attacks must stop. We further conveyed that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward for the peaceful resolution of the conflict, and that there should be unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law. Therefore, we made our position very clear on each of these points, while reiterating how important the lives, welfare, and safety of our people are.”
The ministry of external affairs has also reiterated its call for dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace and stability in the region.
The US military said it fired as the MT Settebello attempted to breach the naval blockade with a shipment of Iranian oil. American forces warned the crew before firing on the ship.
The strike killed three Indian seafarers—chief engineer Suresh Patnaala from Andhra, Aditya Sharma from Himachal, and one other.
Centcom has confirmed strikes on Settebello and Marivex but was yet to comment on reported strikes on Jalveer.
Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary, ministry of ports, shipping & waterways, said evacuation of the seafarers on Jalveer has commenced.
From Settebello, all the remaining 25 crew members including 21 Indians, two Pakistanis, one Russian and one Ukrainian have been safely evacuated, he said, adding the Seamen Welfare Fund Society has been asked to pay Rs 10 lakh to the family of each deceased.
Iran has allowed Indian ships to cross the Hormuz Strait even when the stand-off between Tehran and Washington was at its peak before the ceasefire talks started.
Jaiswal said the vessels targeted in the recent attacks were foreign-flagged and not Indian-owned. He said two of the ships were Palau-flagged, while the third vessel that came under attack was Guinea-flagged.
He added, “These attacks came from the US Navy stationed in the region, as reflected in various reports and as clarified through statements made from this podium. The three ships involved in these incidents were foreign-flagged vessels. Two of them were Palau-flagged, while the third ship, which came under attack today, was Guinea-flagged. They were not Indian-owned ships; all of them were foreign-flagged vessels.”
India has repeatedly expressed concern over the safety of its seafarers operating in the conflict-hit West Asia region and has called for unhindered maritime movement through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law.