A US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, was attacked near Basra in Iraq on Wednesday, claiming the life of an Indian crew member. Another ship, Malta-flagged ‘Zefyros’ owned by a Greek entity, was also attacked.Safesea Vishnu was chartered by an Iraqi company contracted with the State Organisation for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), Zefyros was loaded with condensate products from Basra Gas Company and was in a ship-to-ship loading area in Iraqi waters. The incident occurred at Iraq’s Umm Qasar anchorage during a fuel cargo transfer with the Safesea Vishnu tanker late on Wednesday, Benetech Shipping SA said.The Indian embassy in Iraq has confirmed that “a US-owned crude oil tanker Safesea Vishnu was attacked near Basra in which one Indian crew member unfortunately lost his life.” In a series of posts on X, the mission said, “The remaining 15 Indian crew have since been evacuated to a safe place”. The mission also noted that the “embassy of India Baghdad is in regular contact with Iraqi authorities and rescued Indian sailors and is offering all possible assistance”. All 23 crew members of tanker Zefyros are safe and accounted for, authorities said.In response to the deteriorating security situation, oil terminals at Iraqi ports on Thursday suspended operations. Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of the state-owned General Company for Ports of Iraq, confirmed to the Iraqi News Agency that “the operation of oil ports has been suspended”, though commercial ports continue to function.Earlier, a Thai vessel bound for the Kandla port in Gujarat was attacked in the Strait on Wednesday, prompting criticism from New Delhi. “India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict,” the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, adding that its citizens had also died.Earlier, the Indian govt said that at present 28 Indian-flagged vessels are operating in the Persian Gulf region. Of these, 24 vessels are located west of the Strait of Hormuz carrying 677 Indian seafarers, while four vessels are east of the Strait with 101 Indian seafarers onboard. The ministry said their safety and security was being actively monitored.
