(Bloomberg) —
India's embassy in Tehran is actively communicating with local officials following an attack on a liquefied petroleum gas tanker with 28 Indian crew members on board. This incident occurred in Iranian territorial waters on Friday.
The embassy has confirmed that all Indian crew members are safe and is closely monitoring the situation, according to a statement shared on X after the attack on the vessel named DISHA.
In a separate incident, India’s external affairs ministry reported that a commercial ship, MV OMORFI, was attacked while passing through the Black Sea, allegedly in Russian waters. One Indian national lost his life in this attack, while two others were confirmed safe. The ministry condemned the attacks on commercial ships and noted that the Indian mission in Russia has reached out to the appropriate officials.
These events underline the increasing dangers that seafarers are facing amid escalating global conflicts, including the ongoing war in the Middle East. Last month, Indian crew members were struck by U.S. forces in the Gulf of Oman, which led local authorities to summon a U.S. embassy official in New Delhi.
In response to these risks, India’s directorate general of shipping has released a circular advising all Indian-flagged and foreign-flagged ships to exercise “the highest degree of caution” when navigating near waters in Yemen, the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and the southern Red Sea.