India on Sunday condemned the attack on the Panama-flagged commercial vessel MT El Gaia off the coast of Oman, in which one Indian seafarer remains missing, and said the targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers, civilians and civilian infrastructure in the region was “unacceptable”.
Of the 14 Indian crew members onboard the vessel, 13 have been rescued, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
“ We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel MT El Gaia off the coast of Oman earlier today. Of the 14 Indian crew onboard, 13 Indians have been rescued so far,” the MEA said in a statement.
“Search and Rescue operations for the missing Indian national are continuing. Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing Search and Rescue operation,” it said.
The ministry thanked the Omani authorities for their support in rescuing the Indian nationals.
The attack came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the creation of a “Seafarers' Emergency Support Network” at the BRICS Summit to safeguard mariners facing heightened risks due to regional conflicts.
India also reiterated its call for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and the pursuit of dialogue and diplomacy to bring peace to the region.
“The targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers, civilians, and civilian infrastructure in the region is unacceptable,” the ministry said.
It also urged that free and safe navigation and the flow of commerce through international waterways in the region be restored at the earliest.
The incident comes amid growing risks faced by Indian seafarers as conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea increasingly affect commercial shipping.
Ten Indian seafarers are among 16 Indians killed so far in the West Asia conflict, while another five Indian seafarers have died in strikes on merchant vessels in the Black Sea.
Indian seafarers account for more than 12 per cent of the global merchant shipping workforce, second only to Philippine nationals. India contributes nearly 312,000 of the world's 2.57 million seafarers.