‘Unacceptable’: Delhi condemns attack on Indian-flagged ship off Oman coast
‘All Indian crew on board are safe and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing them’
NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday strongly condemned the attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman, calling it “unacceptable” and voicing concern over continued threats to commercial shipping in the region.
In an official statement, the MEA said all Indian crew members aboard the vessel were safe and thanked Omani authorities for rescuing them, media reports said.
“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,” the MEA spokesperson said.
“All Indian crew on board are safe and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing them,” the statement added.
India also reiterated its stand against attacks on merchant vessels and any disruption to global maritime trade routes.
Heightened tensions
“India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided,” the MEA said.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf and continued disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy shipping corridors.
Despite the security situation, multiple India-bound LPG tankers continued crossing the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours.
According to reports, two foreign-flagged LPG carriers carrying cooking gas for India recently completed transit through the strategic waterway.
One of them, the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel Symi, carrying around 20,000 tonnes of liquid propane and butane, is headed to Deen Dayal Port in Kandla. The ship has a crew comprising eight Ukrainians and 13 Filipinos.
Another vessel, the Vietnam-flagged NV Sunshine, completed its transit on Thursday morning and is proceeding towards New Mangalore port.
Officials said the movement of ships through the strait was taking place under close coordination between India’s Directorate General of Shipping and the ministries of external affairs, defence, and petroleum and natural gas.
At least 13 India-flagged ships are currently in the Persian Gulf awaiting passage through the conflict-hit route.
