Projectile strikes ship in Strait of Hormuz, injuring 11 Indian crew
A projectile hit the Panama-flagged vessel MT On Peace in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman on October 6, 2026, injuring 12 of its 19 crew, including 11 Indians. The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the strike and a separate Black Sea attack, and called for an end to attacks on commercial shipping. Omani authorities helped evacuate the injured.
Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; Prelims · Geography; GS2 · Foreign Policies & the Diaspora
Why it matters
Seventeen of the 19 sailors on MT On Peace were Indian, and 11 of the 12 injured were Indian; three Indians were also among the crew of the ship attacked in the Black Sea, and they are safe. As this Panama-flagged ship with a mostly Indian crew shows, conflicts far from India's shores can put Indian sailors in danger. The MEA is gravely concerned about the safety of world trade, wants such attacks to stop at once and wants ships and trade to move freely through international waterways again. It says it will keep pressing for dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflicts. Omani and Romanian authorities helped evacuate and rescue the injured.
Prelims pointers
- Strait of Hormuz: links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman; Iran lies to its north and Oman's Musandam exclave to its south.
- Khasab, where the injured are being treated, is the main town of Oman's Musandam governorate.
- Under UNCLOS Article 91, ships have the nationality of the State whose flag they are entitled to fly: MT On Peace is Panama-flagged though most crew were Indian.
- UNCLOS Part III deals with straits used for international navigation; it sets out the right of transit passage for ships and aircraft.
- The Black Sea's coastal states include Romania, Ukraine and Russia; it has increasingly become a theatre of drone attacks in the Russia-Ukraine war.
- MEA's stand: stop targeting commercial shipping, seafarers and civilian infrastructure; restore navigation and commerce in international waterways; use dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflicts.
Practise a UPSC-style question
Consider the following statements:
1. Musandam, on the southern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, is an exclave of the United Arab Emirates.
2. Khasab, where the injured crew of MT On Peace were treated, is the main town of Oman's Musandam governorate.
3. Iran lies along the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
1 is incorrect: Musandam is an exclave of Oman, separated from the rest of Oman by UAE territory. 2 is correct: Khasab is the main town of Musandam. 3 is correct: Iran lies to the north of the strait.
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