Two Indian crew on the Togo-flagged MT Chiron 7 were injured after the tanker’s bridge was hit by shrapnel near the contested Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a report by the directorate general of shipping said on Monday.
The Chiron, which has 17 Indians among its crew of 24, was not directly targeted in the incident, the report said. The two Indian sailors, Ankit Kumar and Sagar Chand, sustained minor injuries along with Egyptian national Zeyad Taha, the shipping directorate’s report said. The directorate added no fatalities have been reported, and the crew, which includes two Egyptian nationals, two Bangladeshi nationals, one Pakistani national, and one Iranian national, are safe. Ship tracking websites showed the vessel is currently heading for Sharjah.
Shipping through the narrow strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas used to transit in peacetime, has been strangled since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February. Iran has sealed off the passage while the US has blockaded Iranian ports while interdicting Iran-linked ships
Last week, two-foreign flagged ships with 22 Indian crew in total were fired on by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats. On April 18, two Indian-flagged vessels, the Sanmar Herald and the Jag Arnav, were fired at while transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the vessels turned back.
{{/usCountry}}Last week, two-foreign flagged ships with 22 Indian crew in total were fired on by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats. On April 18, two Indian-flagged vessels, the Sanmar Herald and the Jag Arnav, were fired at while transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the vessels turned back.
{{/usCountry}}Ten other incidents involving foreign-flagged vessels with Indian crew have been reported.