Dubai: An Indian seafarer was injured after a Liberia-flagged oil tanker was struck by a projectile in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday.
Three other crew members were also injured in the attack, the government said on Wednesday. Twenty other sailors, including five Indians, are safe.
The government was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the vessel’s management to ensure medical assistance and the safety of the affected crew, Union minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said.
The vessel involved in the incident was MT Fujairah Energy, a Liberian-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC). The tanker was travelling from Al Ruwais to Dubai when it was hit by a projectile on Tuesday, as reported by abp LIVE.
Six Indian nationals were among the 24 crew members aboard the vessel, the government said. Four sailors sustained injuries in the incident, including one Indian national. The other 20 crew members, including five Indians, were reported safe and accounted for.
Authorities were in contact with the ship management company to coordinate assistance for the injured crew members, Sonowal said.
“We are continuously monitoring the situation and remain in close contact with the ship management company to ensure the ongoing security, medical care and wellbeing of our seafarers,” he posted on X.
The attack comes amid mounting casualties among Indians working in maritime operations across conflict-hit regions.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said on November 3 that 23 Indian nationals had died in the ongoing West Asia conflict. Of these, 15 were Indian seafarers.
Five Indians had been killed in attacks targeting commercial shipping in the Black Sea region, while two others remained missing, he said.
Commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz has faced repeated disruptions since the Iran-US war began in February this year.
The scale of the threat became particularly evident in October, when 37 vessels came under attack. Data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy identified this as the highest monthly number of ship attacks since the conflict began.