New Delhi: Thirteen Indian seafarers were rescued after commercial vessel MT El Gaia came under attack off the coast of Oman, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday.
One Indian national remains missing, with search and rescue operations underway.
MEA condemned the attack and said all 14 Indian crew members on board the vessel were being accounted for.
“Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing search and rescue operation,” the ministry said, thanking the Omani authorities for their support in rescuing its nationals.
MEA did not provide any detail about the circumstances of the attack, or who were responsible.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed on the safety of seafarers near the war zones during his address at the BRICS Summit, the MEA called for immediate de-escalation of tensions in the region.
“The targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers, civilians, and civilian infrastructure in the region is unacceptable,” the MEA said, stressing the need to restore free and safe navigation and the movement of commercial goods through international waterways in the region at the earliest.
There have been growing concerns over the safety of commercial vessels in the Gulf and surrounding waterways, as well as the Black Sea.
British maritime security agency UKMTO said on Sunday that a vessel was struck by a projectile when it was crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The crew was forced to evacuate because of a fire in the vessel.
Iran claimed that one person was killed and four crew members wounded after one of its commercial vessels was struck off its coast.
