New Delhi: The Iranian coast guard fired shots towards a Togo-flagged chemical tanker, MT Siron, which was boarded by individuals, including Indian sailors, at the Shinas Outer Port limits in Oman on April 25, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways revealed on Monday.
The vessel was near other ships when the Iranian Coast Guard intervened and fired warning shots, Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Director at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, stated during an inter-ministerial briefing on the recent developments in West Asia.
He mentioned that the ministry is coordinating closely with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Indian missions, and maritime stakeholders to ensure the safety of seafarers and continuity of operations in the region.
According to Randhawa, the DG Shipping control room has so far handled 7,780 calls and 16,650 emails, maintaining communication with 2,770 Indian ships, with 12 reporting updates.
“The situation is under close watch, with no cause for concern at present,” he noted.
On April 22, Iran attacked a ship in the Strait of Hormuz that was on its way to Mundra Port in India. The attack took place only a few hours after US President Donald Trump had announced an indefinite ceasefire.
It was one of the two ships that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N) announced it had attacked and taken over, according to the Iran’s government-run Press TV.
IRGC-N identified the ships it attacked as the MSC-Francesca, and the Epaminodas, it said.
Two shipping monitoring sites said that Liberian-flagged Epaminodas was on its way to Mundra in Gujarat from the Jebel Ali port in Dubai.
On April 18, Iran attacked two Indian ships in the Strait that had received permission to traverse it. India had lodged a strong protest with Iran over the incidents.
IRGC-N said the two ships were attacked because they were “operating without authorisation”.
A British Navy monitoring outfit confirmed that two ships were fired upon by IRGC gunboats and that one of them reported being immobilised, and the other was damaged.
(IANS)
