NEW DELHI: A projectile struck a Liberia-flagged oil tanker carrying six Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday (November 10), injuring four crew members, including one Indian national, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday.
The vessel, MT Fujairah Energy, was travelling from Al Ruwais to Dubai when it was hit, Sonowal said in a post on X. The injured Indian seafarer sustained minor injuries and was taken ashore for medical examination. The condition of the other three injured crew members was not immediately known.
The remaining 20 crew members, including the five other Indian seafarers on board, were safe and accounted for, the minister said.
"We are continuously monitoring the situation and remain in close contact with the ship management company to ensure the ongoing security, medical care and wellbeing of our seafarers," he said.
The incident is the latest in a series of strikes on commercial shipping in the Gulf region. India has repeatedly raised concerns over threats to merchant vessels amid the conflict in the Middle East, describing attacks on ships and crews as "legally and morally indefensible" and stressing freedom of navigation and the uninterrupted movement of maritime trade.
(With inputs from media reports)