Strait of Hormuz tanker hit by projectile with 15 Indian crew safe

A commercial crude carrier navigating the Strait of Hormuz has been hit by a projectile, according to an announcement from India's minister of ports, shipping and waterways.

The official, Sarbananda Sonowal, confirmed that 15 Indian crew members were aboard the vessel, identified as the MT ST 3, at the time of the incident on Friday. He stated that all of the Indian citizens escaped injury and are safe, adding that authorities are tracking developments and coordinating directly with ship managers to safeguard crew welfare.

The maritime strike follows another incident earlier in the month involving a projectile strike on the MT On Peace, a tanker belonging to Dubai-based firm Onex. That assault left a dozen crew members injured, 11 of whom were Indian nationals, prompting formal condemnation from India's Ministry of External Affairs.

Just one day prior to the latest tanker strike, an unidentified projectile hit the GFS Pride, a container vessel registered in Singapore. The ship caught fire and ultimately sank within the strait, though Singapore maritime officials confirmed that all 21 people on board were successfully evacuated without reported injuries.

The sequence of strikes underscores the mounting peril for merchant traffic passing through the strategic choke point amid an ongoing war between the United States and Iran. Hostilities targeting commercial vessels have reached unprecedented levels, resulting in the sinking of at least two ships.

Operations linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have deployed sea mines, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles to disrupt transit through the energy corridor. The disruptions have triggered a sharp spike in crude markets, driving oil values past $100 per barrel in the United States as Tehran attempts to apply economic leverage against Washington.