'Unacceptable': India slams attack on Indian-flagged ship near Oman

India's Ministry of External Affairs has strongly condemned an attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman, calling it unacceptable and expressing concern over continued attacks on commercial shipping in the region. The ministry said all Indian crew members on board were safe and thanked Omani authorities for carrying out the rescue operation. It reiterated that targeting commercial vessels and endangering civilian mariners must be avoided and stressed that freedom of navigation and maritime trade should not be disrupted. The incident comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia and ongoing disruptions in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy shipping route. Despite the security situation, multiple India-bound LPG tankers have continued to cross the Strait in the past 24 hours. Reports said two foreign-flagged LPG carriers carrying cooking gas for India recently completed transit through the route. One of the vessels, the Marshall Islands-flagged Simi, carrying around 20,000 tonnes of liquid propane and butane, is headed to Dindayal port in Kandla with a multinational crew including Ukrainian and Filipino sailors. The Vietnam-flagged LPG vessel, Envy Sunshine, has also completed its transit and is moving towards New Mangalore port. Officials said ship movement through the strait is being managed through close coordination between India's DG Shipping and the Ministries of External Affairs, Defence and Petroleum and Natural Gas. At present, 13 India-flagged ships are reportedly waiting in the Persian Gulf for safe passage through the conflict-affected route. Indian strategic planners have been monitoring developments closely given the country's heavy dependence on energy imports routed through the Gulf region. The Indian Navy has also significantly expanded operational surveillance across the Arabian Sea and adjoining maritime zones in recent years.