Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed that all 24 Indian seafarers involved in two separate maritime incidents are safe and uninjured. The announcement came after a crude oil tanker, MT ST 3, was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on October 16, and a chemical tanker, YARA J, was hit by a drone at Sulina Anchorage in Romania on October 14.
Sonowal stated in a post on X that the government is maintaining close contact with the respective ship management companies to monitor the security and well-being of the crew. "Thankfully, all 24 Indian nationals across both vessels are completely safe with no casualties or injuries," he said. The minister emphasized that authorities are continuously tracking both situations to ensure ongoing support for the Indian crew members.
This confirmation arrives amid heightened diplomatic tension. On Thursday, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, addressed the Security Council’s quarterly open debate on the Middle East. Parvathaneni condemned attacks on maritime navigation and commercial shipping as "legally and morally indefensible," urging all parties to resolve conflicts through dialogue. He stressed that the safety of seafarers remains a priority for the Government of India, warning that recurring strikes risk aggravating an already volatile region.
The recent confirmations follow a string of dangerous incidents affecting Indian-flagged or Indian-crewed vessels. On October 11, two Indian nationals remain missing after the Nicaragua-flagged tanker MT Petro Dolphin was subjected to a drone attack at Sohar Anchorage in Oman. While nine crew members from that vessel were rescued, local Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations are still active. In another incident on the same date, the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker M/T Valthera was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire, but all 11 Indian seafarers aboard were reported safe.
The pattern of attacks extends back to October 9, when the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker MT GEM NO. 2 was subjected to a drone attack at Sharjah Anchorage. Sonowal had previously confirmed that all 22 Indian nationals on that vessel were unharmed. The Indian Embassy in Oman continues to coordinate with relevant agencies to locate the personnel missing from the MT Petro Dolphin, while the Ports Ministry keeps a tight watch on the broader threat landscape in the Gulf.