Two tankers involving Indian crew members were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, further heightening risks for mariners in the region. According to a Directorate of Maritime Administration report cited by Hindustan Times and Business Standard on 18 September 2026, the Panama-flagged crude tanker MT Basrah Energy was struck by a projectile in its funnel area while sailing eastbound just outside the Strait. The vessel, carrying 22 crew including 14 Indian nationals, sustained no major structural damage and reached Fujairah anchorage with all crew reported unhurt. A second vessel, the Togo-flagged oil product tanker Trend, was reportedly attacked by a drone near Khasab Port in Oman on the same day; official details regarding the crew remain limited. These incidents follow the recent attack on the Panama-flagged MT El Gaia off the coast of Oman over the weekend. That vessel carried 14 Indians and 11 Pakistanis; while 13 Indians were rescued with assistance from the Omani Coast Guard, an Indian oiler named Sumit Kumar Singh from Vaishali remains missing. Iran’s IRGC Navy claimed the ship struck mines, while the United States attributed the damage to a missile and a subsequent drone strike.
Currently, 153 Indian seafarers remain on board six Indian-flagged vessels and eight foreign-flagged vessels of Indian interest operating west of the Strait. Ten of these vessels have been identified for potential evacuation. Despite an existing regulatory ban by India on fresh crew deployments for Hormuz transits, existing crews remain in the zone. On 17 September, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reported that 80 attacks on merchant ships have occurred near Hormuz since the conflict began on 28 February, resulting in at least 22 seafarer deaths. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that more than one country is targeting civilian crews.
Data from the Ministry of External Affairs highlights the broader risks for the approximately one crore Indians living in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Figures indicate 43.26 lakh Indians in the UAE, 27.48 lakh in Saudi Arabia, and significant populations in Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Yemen. Between 2023 and 2025, over 800 Indians died in workplace accidents overseas, with 55 percent of those deaths occurring in Gulf nations, including 182 in Saudi Arabia and 128 in the UAE. Notably, 12 Indians were killed in a gas blast at a plant in Ras Laffan, Qatar, last June. As of Friday afternoon, Indian diplomatic missions in Muscat and Abu Dhabi continue to coordinate search-and-rescue operations amid the ongoing maritime instability.
