A Togo-flagged ship with 17 Indians onboard came under attack on Saturday (April 25). The ship was sailing near the Strait of Hormuz when the Iranian coast guard fired warning shots as it moved to intercept them. All Indian seafarers on the ship are safe, said Mandeep Singh Randhawa, the director of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The Togo-flagged vessel identified as Chiron 7 is owned and managed by a Honduras company.
This comes weeks after Iran seized an Indian-bound ship near the Strait of Hormuz. The Ministry is in regular touch with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions, and maritime stakeholders. Ship tracking data shows that the Chiron did not switch on its location transponder and was trying to transit the Persian Gulf.
The attacks which heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz area, appeared to be in retaliation to US action on Iran’s ships that were trying to cross the ports blocked ports. US also seized another tanker of Iran in the Indian Ocean on Thursday.
Over the past few weeks only a few ships were able to cross the Strait of Hormuz, that too in coordination with the Iranian forces. Currently, IRGC has taken control over the Tehran’s state functions. Hormuz holds strategic importance as a significant amount of oil trade happend through the Strait. So far, 10 India-flagged vessels have crossed the Strait safely due to diplomatic efforts by India.
