14 Indians Safe After Tanker Attack Near Hormuz
On Thursday, 18 September 2026, two foreign-flagged tankers carrying Indian crew were attacked in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. According to a Directorate of Maritime Administration note cited by Hindustan Times and Business Standard, the Panama-flagged crude tanker MT Basrah Energy was struck by a projectile in its funnel area while sailing eastbound outside the Strait. All 14 Indian crew members aboard the 22-person vessel were reported safe after the ship reached Fujairah anchorage with no significant damage. The second vessel, the Togo-flagged oil-product tanker Trend, was reportedly attacked by a drone near Khasab Port in Oman. Further details regarding injuries, flag-state response, and the perpetrators remain pending. Khasab has been the site of previous evacuations and injuries involving Indian crews earlier this year.
Seafarers in Danger Zone
As of the reporting date, 153 Indian seafarers remain west of the Strait of Hormuz on six Indian-flagged vessels and eight foreign-flagged ships of Indian interest. Ten of these vessels have been marked for emergency evacuation. These sailors work as ratings, oilers, cooks, and engineers to support families in regions including Kerala, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. The recent incidents follow the attack on the Panama-flagged tanker MT El Gaia off Oman, where 13 of 14 Indian crew members were rescued, while Sumit Kumar Singh of Vaishali/Muzaffarpur, Bihar, remains missing. Iran’s IRGC Navy claimed the ship hit mines, while Washington identified the weapon as a missile or drone. Previous Directorate of Maritime Administration tallies from earlier this month, reported by sources such as Moneycontrol and NDTV Profit, identified 173 Indians west of the Strait following attacks on vessels including Riesco, Horizon 1, and Mersin Prosperity. These earlier incidents have resulted in multiple Indian deaths and injuries.
Regional Population and Maritime Operations
According to March 2026 Ministry of External Affairs data, the Indian population across the Gulf includes 43.26 lakh in the UAE, 27.48 lakh in Saudi Arabia, 8.29 lakh in Qatar, 6.75 lakh in Oman, 3.15 lakh in Bahrain, and 0.04 lakh in Yemen. Despite the ongoing regional conflict and the collapse of a June interim deal between Iran and the United States, maritime operations continue with companies increasingly relying on ship-to-ship transfers off Sohar and Oman to bypass high-risk zones.