Indian-Flagged Ship Sinks Off Yemen After Projectile Strike, All 14 Crew Rescued

An Indian-flagged vessel has sunk off the coast of Yemen after being hit by a projectile, according to officials. The ship, identified as MSV Faize Noore Oliya, went down after the strike in waters near Yemen. All 14 people on board were rescued, including 13 Indian nationals.

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India's shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, condemned what he described as an unprovoked attack and said steps would be taken to help protect seafarers in the region. India's Ministry of External Affairs later said attacks on commercial shipping in the area were deeply worrisome. It called for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through international waterways to be restored as soon as possible.

The incident comes amid a wider series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and nearby waters. The route has become an alternative for some tankers since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in February, and shipping through the region has already been disrupted by earlier strikes. The latest attack has added to concerns about the safety of commercial traffic in one of the world's most important maritime corridors.

The wider backdrop includes tensions affecting oil and cargo routes across the Middle East. The supporting material says much of the region's shipping network has been disrupted since US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, followed by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. It also says some ships carrying oil from Saudi Arabia had shifted to the Red Sea lane, only for that route to face additional risk from attacks attributed by Yemen's transportation ministry to the Iran-backed Houthis.

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The exact group responsible for the strike on MSV Faize Noore Oliya has not been confirmed. The supporting material says Yemen's transportation ministry, part of the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government, accused the Houthis of using a boat laden with explosives, but that claim has not been independently verified in the supplied rows. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency has also reported several attacks on ships in the region over the past week, underlining the continuing threat to commercial shipping.

What remains unclear is who carried out the attack and whether it forms part of a broader pattern of escalation in the Red Sea. The immediate priority is the safety of seafarers and the protection of shipping lanes used for trade and energy transport. Further official statements may clarify the circumstances of the strike and whether additional security measures will be introduced for vessels operating in the area.

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