Kuwaiti Tanker With 21 Indian Crew Hit by Projectile Near Strait of Hormuz, Fire Out, All Safe

A Kuwait-flagged oil products tanker, M/T Al Dasma, was hit by an unidentified projectile on Wednesday, Oct. 21, while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A fire broke out on board and was later put out.

India's Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said all 21 Indian seafarers aboard are safe, as is the rest of the crew. He posted the statement on X.

"On Oct 21, Kuwait-flagged oil product tanker M/T AL DASMA, carrying 21 Indian seafarers, was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz," Sonowal wrote. He added that India is "continuously monitoring the situation" and is in close contact with the ship management company.

What the maritime monitors recorded

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) placed the strike about 11 nautical miles west of Bukha, Oman. The tanker anchored after the fire was brought under control.

UKMTO reported no environmental impact at the time of its advisory.

No government, militia or armed force has claimed responsibility. Sonowal's statement described the weapon only as an "unknown projectile." The attacker remains unidentified.

A string of incidents in two weeks

Al Dasma is the latest in a run of Hormuz-area strikes this month:

• Oct. 12: Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reposted video appearing to show a Nicaragua-flagged tanker on fire in the Hormuz area. India's Foreign Ministry said two Indian crew members were missing after the vessel was struck by a drone.
• Oct. 14: The chemical tanker YARA J was involved in a separate incident.
• Oct. 16: The crude tanker MT ST 3, carrying 15 Indian seafarers, was hit by a projectile. Sonowal said all Indian nationals aboard were safe and no casualties were reported.
• Oct. 21: Al Dasma, as above.

The pattern is clear even if the shooter is not. Commercial ships with Indian crews keep ending up in the line of fire, and India has been the most vocal government about it.

India's position

New Delhi has condemned attacks on merchant shipping and mariners and called them legally and morally indefensible. It has pressed for freedom of navigation and the safe, unimpeded flow of maritime commerce.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the same point in September at the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi. "Global trade progress is possible only when sea lanes are secure, supply routes remain open, and seafarers are safe," he said.

India's concern is practical. Indian nationals make up a large share of the crews on tankers moving oil through the Gulf, so every strike puts Indian lives at risk regardless of whose flag the ship flies.

The wider war

The attacks come against the backdrop of the conflict between the United States and Iran that broke out in February. Hormuz is one of the world's key routes for oil and petroleum products. Strikes on ships there carry consequences well beyond the crews.

Two things keep this from being just another incident report. Crews have so far escaped serious harm on the last two Indian-crewed ships hit, but that is luck as much as design. A fire aboard a loaded tanker can turn lethal fast, and the Oct. 12 strike left two Indian crew members missing.

It is not yet known who is firing or why. Until a government or armed group claims these strikes, or an investigation attributes them, shipowners and crews are making transit decisions without knowing who they are being asked to avoid. India says it remains in contact with Al Dasma's ship management company.