An India-flagged vessel sank on Wednesday after coming under attack in Omani waters, the Centre said, adding that the crew members were rescued and terming the strike “unacceptable”.
Haji Ali, the Indian mechanised wooden sailing vessel, was carrying cargo on its voyage from Somalia to Sharjah in the UAE when it was attacked early on Wednesday. The attack caused a fire on board, causing the vessel to sink.
The external affairs ministry condemned the incident, saying: “The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday (Wednesday) is unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted.”
It said targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members or impeding freedom of navigation and commerce should be avoided..
The ministry did not identify who carried out the attack.
“All 14 crew members on board were safely rescued by the Omani Coast
Guard and have reached Dibba port in Oman. The crew is reported to be safe and necessary formalities with local authorities have been completed,” said Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary in the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, in an intra-ministerial briefing.
He said the government was coordinating with Omani authorities, Indian Mission officials and relevant maritime agencies to bring back the crew members safely.
The government also informed that two India-bound liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers — Symi and NV Sunshine — have crossed the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions in the region.
Marshall Islands-flagged Symi, carrying 19,965 metric tonne (MT) of LPG for India, safely crossed Hormuz on Wednesday and is expected to arrive at Gujarat’s Kandla port on May 16. While Vietnam-flagged NV Sunshine, carrying 46,427 MT of LPG safely crossed the shipping channel on Thursday and is expected to arrive at Karnataka’s New Mangalore port on May 18.
Mangal said the cargo on both the vessels belonged to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
The passage of the two vessels came amid a deadlock in negotiations to end the war and the arrival of Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in New Delhi to attend the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting.
Symi emerged in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday after turning off its transponder, while NV Sunshine — loaded with LPG at the UAE’s Ruwais refinery — followed suit hours later after transmitting its location east of Iran’s Larak Island before going dark.
Since early March, 13 India-flagged vessels — including 12 LPG tankers and one crude oil tanker — have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, even as tensions in the region continue to disrupt maritime traffic.
Several foreign-flagged energy tankers carrying cargo for India have also arrived from the Persian Gulf after transiting the strategic waterway.
At least 12 Indian vessels remain stranded in the Gulf, along with multiple foreign ships transporting India-bound cargo.