Two foreign-flagged tankers carrying Indian seafarers were attacked on Thursday, 18 September 2026, in waters off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz.
- Fourteen Indian nationals aboard the MT Basrah Energy were unharmed after a projectile strike.
- A second vessel, the Trend, was struck by a drone near Khasab Port in Oman.
- The Indian government is monitoring 153 Indian seafarers located west of the Strait of Hormuz.
Two foreign-flagged tankers carrying Indian seafarers were attacked on Thursday, 18 September 2026, in waters off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz. Fourteen Indian nationals aboard the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker MT Basrah Energy were unharmed after a projectile struck the vessel's funnel. A second vessel, the Togo-flagged product tanker Trend, was struck by a drone near Khasab Port in Oman. According to the Directorate of Maritime Administration, the crew of the MT Basrah Energy, which included 22 individuals in total, safely reached the Fujairah anchorage.
Since the escalation of the conflict in West Asia in late February 2026, Indian seafarers have faced repeated attacks involving projectiles, drones, missiles, and precision strikes.
The Indian government is currently monitoring 153 Indian seafarers located west of the Strait of Hormuz, distributed across six Indian-flagged and eight foreign-flagged ships of Indian interest. Ten of these vessels have been flagged as candidates for potential evacuation.
Indian sailors, many of whom originate from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, often serve 6-9 month contracts in these regions. While the government has implemented measures such as real-time dashboards, family liaison officers, and diplomatic summons, attacks remain frequent. While various actors, including Iran, the United States, and regional militias, have been implicated in previous incidents throughout the year,
India has not officially attributed responsibility for the 18 September strikes to any specific group. These events continue to impact the broader Indian diaspora, which includes 3.5 million citizens in the UAE, 2.4 million in Saudi Arabia, and significant populations in Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain.
