Togo-Flagged Tanker with Indian Crew Fired Upon by Iran Near Oman
New Delhi, April 27<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Togo-flagged chemical tanker, MT Siron, with Indian crew members on board, was fired upon by the Iranian Coast Guard near Oman\u2019s Shinas Outer Port on April 25, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to officials, the vessel was operating near other ships when the Iranian Coast Guard intervened and fired warning shots. The tanker was subsequently boarded by individuals, including Indian sailors, raising concerns over maritime safety in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing, Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Director at the ministry, said authorities are closely coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions abroad, and maritime stakeholders to ensure the safety of seafarers and the continuity of shipping operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Randhawa noted that the Directorate General of Shipping\u2019s control room has handled 7,780 calls and 16,650 emails so far, maintaining contact with 2,770 Indian ships, of which 12 have reported specific updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe situation is under close watch, and there is no immediate cause for concern,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incident comes amid rising tensions in the region. On April 22, Iranian forces reportedly attacked vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, including ships en route to India. The attack occurred just hours after US President Donald Trump announced an indefinite ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N) claimed responsibility for targeting two ships \u2014 MSC Francesca and Epaminondas. Shipping trackers indicated that the Liberian-flagged Epaminondas was travelling from Jebel Ali port in Dubai to Mundra port in Gujarat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier, on April 18, two Indian-linked vessels were also attacked in the Strait despite having clearance to pass through. India had lodged a strong protest with Iran over those incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The IRGC-N stated that the ships were targeted for allegedly operating without authorisation. A British naval monitoring agency confirmed that two vessels were fired upon by Iranian gunboats, with one reportedly immobilised and the other damaged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Togo-Flagged Tanker with Indian Crew Fired Upon by Iran Near OmanNew Delhi, April 27 A Togo-flagged chemical tanker, MT Siron, with Indian crew members on board, was fired upon by the Iranian Coast Guard near Oman\u2019s Shinas Outer Port on April 25, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said on Monday. According to officials, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international"],"yoast_head":"\n