India on Thursday said an Indian-flagged vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman, and subsequently sank, calling the incident “unacceptable.”
An Indian dhow, a mechanised sailing vessel, during its voyage from Somalia to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), reportedly encountered an incident in Omani waters in the early hours of Wednesday, May 13, which led to a fire onboard and subsequent sinking of the vessel, India’s ministry of ports, shipping and waterways told reporters in a inter-ministerial briefing on the recent developments in the West Asia.
All 14 crew members onboard were safely rescued by the Omani Coast Guard and have reached Dibba Port, Oman, the ministry said. The crew is reported to be safe, and necessary formalities with the local authorities have been completed.
The government of India reportedly remains in close coordination with the authorities in the Sultanate of Oman, Indian Mission officials, and relevant maritime agencies.
Earlier, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement: “The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted. All Indian crew on board are safe, and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing them.”
“India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided,” he added.
India did not specify the nature of the attack or who was behind it.
India’s ministry of ports, shipping and waterways provided an update on Thursday, May 14, on the prevailing maritime situation in the Persian Gulf, detailing the measures being undertaken to ensure the safety and security of Indian vessels and crew in the region.
As it was stated, the LPG carrier and Marshall Islands-flagged vessel Symi, carrying 19,965 MT of LPG cargo for India, with 21 foreign crew members onboard, safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz on May 13 and is expected to arrive at Kandla on May 16.
Furthermore, the ministry said the LPG carrier and Vietnam-flagged vessel NV Sunshine, carrying 46,427 MT of LPG cargo for India, with 24 foreign crew members onboard, safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz on May 14 and is expected to arrive at New Mangalore on May 18.
The data were compiled from India’s ministry of ports, shipping and waterways as of May 14. Details may change as more information come to light.
So far, the ministry -through the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping)- has facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 3,158 Indian seafarers from various locations across the Gulf region.
Vessel heads toward Iranian waters after boarding incident
One day after the incident, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that a vessel had been taken by “unauthorized personnel” whist at anchor and was heading toward Iranian territorial waters.
The UKMTO said Thursday it received a report of an incident 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates.
“The CSO has reported that the vessel has been taken by unauthorised personnel whist at anchor and is now bound for Iranian Territorial Waters. UKMTO continue to investigate,” the company security officer reported, according to a statement.
As of May 14, UKMTO has received 49 reports of incidents affecting vessels operating in and around the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. The total attack reports were 27, the total suspicious activity reports were 20, whilst the total hijack reports were 2.
