13 Indians rescued as cargo ship sinks after attack off Yemen coast

An Indian-flagged merchant vessel with 13 Indian nationals aboard came under attack off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. All the Indians have been rescued, it said. New Delhi condemned the attack and said targeting of commercial shipping in the region must stop. "We condemn the attack on the Indian-flagged commercial vessel, MSV Faize Noore Oliya that sank in the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen on August 4," the MEA said. The MEA thanked the Yemeni authorities for their support in rescuing the Indians. "The continuing incidents of attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply worrisome," it said.The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia is monitoring the situation and coordinating with Yemeni authorities for the safety and security of the crew, the statement said.
Shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on social media that the cargo vessel MSV Faize Noore Oliya sank after being hit by “a projectile” near Yemeni waters. However, Yemen's government-aligned National Resistance Forces said the vessel was attacked by “an explosives-laden boat” off the country’s western coast. Sonowal said he had instructed the Director General Maritime Administration to “take immediate steps in coordination with all agencies to ensure the absolute security of Indian seafarers in the region”.
Ten Indian seafarers are among the 16 Indians killed so far in the West Asia conflict. Another five Indian seafarers have died in recent attacks on merchant vessels by Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea. The attack occurred against the backdrop of renewed threats to merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait since last month. On July 20, Houthi rebels aligned with Iran announced a “naval blockade” of Saudi Arabia, including in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula after the outbreak of the Middle East war has only placed greater importance on shipping lanes through the Red Sea. The Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu has enabled it to keep up shipments to global markets by circumventing the Hormuz entirely.