A Kuwait-flagged oil product tanker carrying 21 Indian seafarers was struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on October 21, 2026, the second such attack on a vessel carrying Indian crew in the critical waterway within a single week.
The M/T Al Dasma came under attack as it moved through the narrow strait, and all 21 Indian crew members on board are completely safe, along with the rest of the ship's complement. The assurance came from Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who confirmed the safety of the Indian seafarers in a post on X.
The minister said the government is "continuously monitoring the situation" and remains "in close contact with the ship management company" to ensure the security and wellbeing of the seafarers on board the stricken vessel.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which tracks maritime security incidents in the region, reported that the strike occurred about 11 nautical miles west of Bukha in Oman. Following the impact, a fire broke out on board the tanker but was later extinguished, according to a report in the Times of Kuwait.
The tanker was reported to be anchored and stationary after the incident. No environmental impact has been reported so far, and there has been no confirmation of any casualties among the crew.
The attack on the M/T Al Dasma follows an earlier incident on October 16, 2026, when the crude oil tanker MT ST 3, carrying 15 Indian seafarers, was struck by a projectile while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. All the Indian crew members on that vessel were also reported safe.
The back-to-back incidents have raised serious concerns in New Delhi about the safety of Indian merchant mariners operating in one of the world's most strategically important sea lanes, and about the security of commercial shipping in the wider Gulf region.
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. It is one of the world's most critical shipping lanes for energy supplies, through which a vast share of the global oil trade passes every day. Any disruption to shipping in the strait carries immediate implications for energy markets and for the economies that depend on the steady flow of crude oil and petroleum products.
India's standing position on such attacks is unequivocal. New Delhi holds that attacks on commercial shipping and merchant mariners are "legally and morally indefensible". The government has consistently stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and the "safe and unimpeded flow of maritime commerce through international waterways".
The strike on the M/T Al Dasma comes amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East and a spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf region in recent weeks, adding to a climate of unease for ship operators, insurers and the seafarers who crew the tankers.
The nature of the projectile that struck the vessel remains unidentified, and details of how the attack unfolded are still emerging. Maritime security agencies are expected to examine the circumstances of the strike, including the point of impact on the tanker and the sequence of events that led to the fire on board.
The response to the incident illustrated the coordination between international maritime monitoring bodies and national governments. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which serves as an early-warning and information-sharing channel for merchant shipping, tracked the vessel's position and reported the location of the attack, while Indian authorities moved swiftly to establish contact with the ship's management company and confirm the status of the Indian crew.
The fact that the fire was brought under control and that the vessel could anchor safely after the strike limited the scale of the incident. The absence of any reported environmental damage also came as a relief, given that the M/T Al Dasma is an oil product tanker and that any major spill in the Strait of Hormuz would have carried grave ecological and commercial consequences for the entire region.
For India, the safety of its seafarers is a matter of particular concern. Indian nationals form one of the largest national workforces in global shipping, serving on tankers, bulk carriers and container vessels across the world's oceans. When vessels with Indian crew come under attack, the government is under immediate pressure to account for its citizens and to press for their protection under international maritime law.
Minister Sonowal's public confirmation of the crew's safety, and his emphasis that the government remains in close contact with the ship management company, reflected the established protocol of active diplomatic engagement whenever Indian merchant mariners are caught in a security incident at sea.
The October 16 incident involving the MT ST 3 had already put New Delhi on alert. That tanker, a crude oil carrier, was also struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, and the 15 Indian seafarers on board were reported safe. The repetition of such strikes within days of each other has hardened the perception in Indian policy circles that commercial shipping in the Gulf is facing a sustained threat.
Freedom of navigation is a cornerstone of the international maritime order, and India has repeatedly argued that commercial vessels and their crews must never become targets in regional conflicts. Attacks on tankers not only endanger the lives of seafarers but also threaten the energy supplies on which millions of people depend, drive up insurance and freight costs, and inject volatility into global markets.
The Strait of Hormuz has long been a flashpoint. Its geography makes it inherently vulnerable: the shipping lanes are narrow, the traffic is dense, and the strait's chokepoint role means that even a single incident can reverberate through global energy supply chains. Successive generations of policymakers have treated the free passage of commercial vessels through the strait as a matter of collective interest for the international community.
In the wake of the latest strike, shipping companies operating in the region are likely to reassess their voyage plans, security postures and insurance arrangements for transits through the strait. Seafarer welfare organisations and crewing agencies, meanwhile, will be watching closely for guidance on the safety of assignments in the Gulf.
The Indian government's immediate focus remains on the welfare of the 21 Indian seafarers on the M/T Al Dasma. With the crew confirmed safe and the vessel stable at anchor, the emphasis has shifted to ensuring that the seafarers continue to receive the protection and support they need until the vessel can safely resume its voyage or reach a port.
As the situation develops, New Delhi is expected to continue its monitoring of the case and its engagement with the ship management company. The broader question of how to deter further attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and in the Gulf region more widely, remains unresolved and is likely to feature prominently in India's diplomatic conversations with partners in the region.
(Reporting based on The Times of India and The Economic Times.)