14 India-bound ships trying to cross Strait of Hormuz stopped by Iran
1 hit by bullets, 1 crosses say sources
India summons Iran envoy over incident of firing at ships in Strait of Hormuz
New Delhi: A convoy of 14 India-bound ships carrying crude oil and gas were stopped by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by firing at two of them while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, leading to 13 of the vessels returning to different locations in the Persian Gulf, official sources privy to the development said.
An Indian-flag carrying ship, which was hit by bullets fired by the IRGC while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, was carrying crude oil and a window pane was broken, forcing it to stop the journey and return. The extent of damage to the second vessel was not immediately known but it also had returned.
However, another ship, which was Indian flagged and loaded with crude oil for the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, sailed through the Strait and is now heading towards India, the sources said.
Two Iranian gunboats approached the targeted tanker and fired at it without warning. Gunboats approached the vessel 37 kilometres northeast of Oman, causing other vessels to return without completing the crossing, the sources said.
The incident was reported in waters between the Qeshm and Larak islands, they said.
Out of the 14 India-bound vessels, seven are carrying the Indian flag, four have the Liberia flag, two are of the Marshall Islands and one of Vietnam.
Six of them are loaded with crude oil, three have LPG and four are loaded with fertilisers. Among the ships, five are bulk carriers. All 14 vessels were sailing in a row.
Thirteen of them were stopped by the Iranian Navy and were instructed to wait. Out of the 13 stranded vessels, seven vessels are drifting south of Larak Island, waiting for clearance from the Iranian Navy, the sources said.
The Indian government is understood to have been coordinating with the Iranian authorities for the safe voyage of the stranded India-bound ships, they said.
The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz reportedly escalated again on Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass. This came as the United States pressed ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.
Confusion over the Strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, threatened to deepen the energy crisis.
The ceasefire between Iran and the US is due to run out by mid-next week.
Iran’s joint military command said Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state … under strict management and control of the armed forces.”
It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
Meanwhile, India summoned Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali after two Indian vessels had to reverse course in the Strait of Hormuz following an incident of firing by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, authoritative sources said.
A strong protest was lodged with the ambassador over the incident, they said.
There is no official word yet on summoning Fathali to the external affairs ministry. Several commercial vessels tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz after Iran on Friday announced that it has opened the waterway for commercial traffic.
Tehran on Saturday said it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz, alleging that the US violated certain understanding reached between the two sides.
A vessel tracker reported that two Indian vessels had to reverse course in the Strait of Hormuz following reports of gunfire from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
The vessels include an Indian-flagged super tanker, carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil, it said.
Earlier this week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar underlined India’s strong commitment to “safe and unimpeded” transit passage of maritime shipping, even as he emphasised that attacks on merchant shipping are “completely unacceptable”.
The EAM said this in his remarks while participating in ‘AZEC Plus’ online meeting convened by Japan to discuss supply chain disruptions in the energy markets.
