Indian seafarers injured in Hormuz & Black Sea strikes; Delhi condemns the incidents
Twelve seafarers, including 11 Indians, were injured in the projectile hit on the vessel. Photograph: (AFP)
New Delhi said it viewed attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers with grave concern and that the targeting of traffic in international waterways is hitting global commerce and the welfare of people across the world. It again called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the ongoing conflicts.
New Delhi: India has condemned two attacks on commercial vessels in which Indian seafarers were among those caught in the violence, one in the Black Sea and one in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that strikes on merchant shipping are undermining global trade.
In a statement issued in New Delhi on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs said it condemned the attack on the MV Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea, “in which two foreign seafarers were killed and some members of the crew, including Indian nationals, were injured.” The three Indian nationals on board were safe, it said, and thanked Romanian authorities for rescuing the injured and providing medical care.
The vessel, a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship owned by a Turkish company, was carrying corn from the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail toward Ravenna in Italy when it was struck, caught fire and sank about 30 nautical miles south of Sfântu Gheorghe, inside Romania’s exclusive economic zone, according to Indian and Romanian reports.
India’s embassy in Bucharest later said all three Indians were safe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the ship was hit by two Russian drones in neutral waters. New Delhi has not attributed the strike.
The Indian foreign ministry issued a second statement on an attack on the Panama-flagged tanker MT On Peace, which was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman. Of a crew of 19, 17 were Indian.
Twelve seafarers were injured, including 11 Indians. With Omani assistance, the injured were evacuated and are receiving treatment in Khasab. India thanked the Omani authorities for their support.
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“The continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region remain a cause of deep concern for India,” the ministry said. “We reiterate our call for an immediate cessation of such attacks in the interests of peace and stability in the region.”
It added that “the targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and navigation and commerce through international waterways must be restored at the earliest.”
New Delhi said it viewed attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers “with grave concern,” arguing that “the targeting of traffic in international waterways is severely undermining global commerce and welfare of people across the world.” It again called for “dialogue and diplomacy to bring an end to the ongoing conflicts.”
On the sidelines of UNGA, Liberia formed a 25-nation “Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers", aimed at protecting merchant crews against targeted attacks. Indian officials have issued several similar condemnations this year as strikes on shipping have continued in both theatres.
