A projectile struck the Liberia-flagged oil tanker MT Fujairah Energy in the Persian Gulf on November 10, injuring four of the 24 crew on board, one of them an Indian national with minor injuries. The incident was reported on November 11. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal shared the information on X, saying the Indian government is monitoring the situation closely with the ship's management company.
The vessel was transiting from Al Ruwais towards Dubai when it was hit. Of the 24 crew, six were Indian. The injured Indian crew member has been taken ashore for medical examination. The condition of the other three injured crew members had not been ascertained at the time of reporting, and the report did not specify their nationalities. The remaining 18 crew members, including five Indian nationals, were reported to be safe. The report did not identify who was responsible for the attack.
The government's stated priorities in the matter are security, medical care and the welfare of seafarers. The attack is part of a series of strikes on commercial vessels in the Gulf, a region where shipping has come under growing pressure as the escalating conflict in the Middle East has widened. Crews on merchant vessels have increasingly been exposed to the risks of that conflict, and the strike on the Fujairah Energy adds to the pattern of incidents affecting ships operating in these waters.
India has described attacks on merchant vessels as «legally and morally indefensible». New Delhi has also stressed the principle of freedom of navigation and the need for uninterrupted maritime trade. Both points bear directly on Indian seafarers, who make up a significant share of crews on vessels operating in these waters.
The episode highlights the exposure of Indian sailors to regional hostilities far from the country's borders. It also underlines the role of the government and ship management companies in responding to such incidents, from attending to injured crew to tracking the welfare of those still aboard the vessel. The report notes that the situation remains under watch, with the condition of three injured crew members still unconfirmed at the time of reporting.
Source: siasat.com
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