Indian-flagged vessel sinks after attack off Oman, crew rescued

India on Thursday said an Indian-flagged vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman, and subsequently sank, calling the incident “unacceptable.”

An Indian dhow, a mechanized wooden sailing vessel named ‘Haji Ali’, during its voyage from Somalia to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), encountered an attack in Omani waters Wednesday morning, Mukesh Mangal, a senior official of India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways told reporters in the national capital Delhi.

He said the attack led to a fire on board and the vessel sinking off Omani waters.

“All 14 crew members on board were safely rescued by the Omani Coast Guard and have reached Dibba Port in Oman,” he said, adding that in the last 72 hours, no other incident has been reported involving Indian vessels or Indian seafarers.

Earlier, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement: “We deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted,” adding that the Indian crew members were safe and had been rescued by Omani authorities.

“Targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided,” he added.

The statement came after the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Thursday that a vessel had been seized by “unauthorized personnel” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and was heading toward Iranian territorial waters.

The UKMTO said it received a report of the incident about 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah in the UAE.

“The vessel has been taken by unauthorized personnel while at anchor and is now bound for Iranian territorial waters,” the ship’s company security officer reported, according to a statement.

Regional tensions have remained high since US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year triggered retaliatory attacks and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway between Oman, Iran and the UAE connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Amid a fragile ceasefire, the US has also enforced naval restrictions targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz since April 13.

According to a tally by Anadolu, at least 27 people from Asian countries have been killed or remain missing since the war began on Feb. 28.​​​​​​​