Three foreign-flagged vessels with Indian crews hit amid Gulf tensions
Three ships flying Zimbabwe, Palau and Liberian flags and carrying Indian crew members were struck in the Gulf of Oman and nearby waters on Sept. 8-9, according to a maritime administration report.
A recent report from the Directorate of Maritime Administration detailed attacks on three foreign-flagged ships carrying Indian seafarers amid heightened hostilities in the Gulf region. The Zimbabwe-flagged crude oil tanker Riesco was hit by U.S. naval forces in the Gulf of Oman on Sept. 8, prompting its 21 Indian crew to abandon ship and seek refuge at an Iranian port. Later that night, the Palau-flagged LPG carrier Horizon 1 was struck near Khor Fakkan OPL; its 14 Indian and two Georgian crew members were rescued by a nearby vessel.
On Sept. 9, a projectile struck the Liberian-flagged crude tanker Mersin Prosperity near Fujairah, but all seven Indian crew members remained safe. The report adds that a total of 173 Indian seafarers are aboard 14 vessels in the Persian Gulf west of the Strait of Hormuz, with ten identified for evacuation, and cites nine seafarer deaths and 12 injuries from earlier incidents since the conflict began.
Why it matters
The attacks highlight escalating risks to commercial shipping and Indian nationals in a volatile Gulf region.
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