First Indian casualty in West Asia conflict: Sailor on tanker killed in projectile attack

New Delhi: India suffered its first casualty in the ongoing conflict in West Asia on Monday when the oil tanker MKD Vyom was hit by a shell in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday, killing an Indian national on board.The Indian Embassy in Oman posted onAccording to Oman’s official news agency, MKD VYOM, flying the flag of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, was attacked by an unmanned surface vessel 52 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. Oman said the tanker’s 21 crew members, including 16 Indians, four Bangladeshis and one Ukrainian, were evacuated via the Panamanian-flagged merchant ship MV SAND.However, the Omani Foreign Ministry did not disclose the names of the victims. “The ship was carrying an estimated 59,463 tonnes of cargo. The attack triggered a fire and explosion in the main cabin, resulting in the death of one Indian crew member,” it added.A day earlier, another oil tanker, MV Skylight, carrying 15 Indian and five Iranian crew members was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack on the Skylight left four crew members injured.The Strait of Hormuz handles approximately 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Any disruption to this choke point would immediately disrupt global energy markets. An estimated 150 oil tankers have anchored outside the Strait of Hormuz. About 50% of India’s monthly oil and almost all LPG imports pass through this important shipping route.The U.S. Energy Information Administration said there would be “few other options” to move oil out of the strait if it were closed. Ship tracking data from S&P Global Commodities at Sea confirmed that no tankers passed through the narrow channel on March 1, with shipowners reassessing their risk exposure and changing ship routes following reports of blockades.Oil flows through the strait will average 20 million barrels per day by 2024, equivalent to about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption, the report said.