3 ships with Indian crew hit amid W Asia conflict

Three foreign flagged ships with Indian crew were caught in the West Asia crisis and attacked on September 8 and 9, according to a report prepared by the directorate of Maritime Administration. All crew members are safe and accounted for, it said.

The report said that Zimbabwe flagged crude oil tanker Riesco was reportedly hit by US Naval forces in the Gulf of Oman on September 8 at around 11pm IST. Prior to the incident, and in view of the prevailing security situation, all crew members had safely abandoned the vessel and proceeded to a safe shelter at an Iran port. The vessel had 21 Indian crew members on board, the report said.

A Palau flagged LPG Carrier Horizon 1 was reportedly hit on September 8 at approximately 11.30pm IST at Khor Fakkan OPL, the report said. Confirmation has been received from the Owner/Technical Managers KBT Ship Management that all 16 crew members (14 Indian & two Georgian nationals) have been rescued by another vessel nearby and are safe, it added.

The report also said that Liberian flagged crude oil tanker Mersin Prosperity was reportedly hit by a projectile near Fujairah on September 9. All crew members on board are safe and accounted for. The vessel has seven Indian crew members on board, said the report on escalation in strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf region.

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According to the report, six Indian-flagged vessels and eight foreign-flagged vessels of Indian interest are in the Persian Gulf (west of Strait of Hormuz ), with a total of 173 Indian seafarers onboard.

A total of 10 vessels of Indian interest, comprising both Indian-flagged and India-bound foreign-flagged vessels, remain in the Persian Gulf (west of Strait of Hormuz) and have been identified for evacuation.

So far, four incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels and 50 incidents involving foreign-flagged vessels with Indian crew have been reported since the beginning of the war in West Asia.

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Nine seafarers were killed in these incidents, 12 injured and one presumed deceased, the report said.