India Denies an Attack on Four Vessels in Black Sea Two Crew Hurt
India strongly condemned a spate of recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea which endangered the lives of several Indian crew members. One crew member was injured when the commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov came under attack, Ministry of External Affairs Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
Another Indian sustained injuries in a drone attack on the Palau-flagged MV ABLE. The ministry urged an immediate end to targeting at sea and reiterated its call for diplomatic mediation to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
During a bi-weekly press conference, Jaiswal spoke of a disturbing escalation in maritime safety threats, detailing four separate incidents involving merchant vessels operating in the region in 48 hours. “We have seen a series of attacks in the Black Sea region in the last one or two days. “We condemn such attacks that threaten commercial shipping and endanger the lives of our seafaring community,” Jaiswal said.
He said the situation was equally critical for other merchant vessels, with the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan attacked and the fate of its crew still unknown and the Palau-flagged MV ABLE targeted by a drone strike. The second ship to be attacked was the Alfa Watan. It was a vessel flying the flag of Togo. It was attacked yesterday and the fate of its crew is unknown at this hour. The Palau-flagged MV ABLE was also targeted by a drone attack but all 18 crew members, including seven Indian nationals, have been rescued. An Indian has been injured and is under medical assistance and supervision.
He said a fourth ship under attack was a Liberia-flagged oil tanker, Aframax Rio, with an all-Indian crew. He said the ship had 23 crew members onboard, all Indian nationals, all of whom have been rescued.
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