Indian sailor injured as oil tanker hit by projectile in Persian Gulf; Sonowal says other five Indians are safe
Indian oil tanker attacked: An oil tanker with six Indian seafarers on board was hit by a projectile in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, leaving four crew members hurt, one of them an Indian, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday.
The vessel, MT Fujairah Energy, is a very large crude carrier (VLCC) sailing under the Liberian flag. It was traveling from Al Ruwais to Dubai when the strike happened on November 10, Sonowal said in a post on X.
According to the minister, the injured Indian sailor suffered only minor injuries. He was brought ashore and is undergoing further medical checks. The other five Indian crew members are safe, along with the remaining 18 persons on board.
“We are continuously monitoring the situation and remain in close contact with the ship management company,” Sonowal said, adding that the government is focused on the security, medical care and wellbeing of the seafarers.
Rising toll among Indians
The incident comes as India continues to count its losses from the conflict in West Asia. Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said 23 Indian nationals have died in the conflict so far, 15 of them seafarers. Separately, five Indian nationals were killed in attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea region.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal gave the figures at a bi-weekly briefing in New Delhi. He explained that the earlier count of 22 deaths had gone up by one after another Indian died when a ship carrying 14 Indian crew members was attacked. Omani authorities rescued 13 Indians after the November 2 attack, and Jaiswal thanked them for their help.
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- PTC NEWS
