At least 12 crew members were injured when the Panama-flagged tanker On Peace was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The Dubai-owned Aframax tanker was hit off the coast of Oman, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which said 19 crew members were on board, including 17 Indian nationals.
Eleven of the 12 injured seafarers were Indian. “With the assistance of Omani authorities, the injured crew have since been evacuated and are receiving medical treatment in Khasab, Oman. We thank the Omani authorities for their valuable support,” the ministry said in a statement.
The On Peace is among 81 vessels on a blacklist maintained by the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), which claims the vessels have violated Iran’s protocols for the Strait of Hormuz. The authority says blacklisted vessels “shall face restrictions on future passages, including fines, detention, or confiscation”.
The vessel is owned and operated by ONEX DMCC and managed by Anglo-Eastern Tanker Management. “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.” “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.” The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
At least five commercial vessels have been attacked in the waterway since 3 October.