Sixth tanker hit in a week: five Indians rescued after projectile strikes MT Kazimah III off Oman

New Delhi, Oct 3 — A Kuwait-flagged crude oil tanker carrying five Indian seafarers was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, in the sixth attack on a commercial vessel in the region in a single week. The Embassy of India in Oman said in a post on X on Friday that it had coordinated the rescue of the five Indian nationals aboard the MT Kazimah III after the vessel was hit in the Strait. "All 5 Indian nationals have been shifted ashore safely. We thank the Omani authorities for their continued support and assistance," the mission said. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre reported the incident about four nautical miles east of Oman: the master of a crude oil tanker reported being struck by an unknown projectile on the port side. All crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was reported. Authorities are investigating, and vessels have been advised to transit with caution and report suspicious activity. The Kazimah III is a 317,250-deadweight-tonne crude carrier of the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company, sailing under the Kuwaiti flag and bound for the port of Lome in Togo. Maritime trackers say the strike fits a widening pattern: six tankers of multiple types and operators have now been hit in Hormuz waters within a week, turning what looked like isolated attacks into sustained voyage-level exposure for Gulf crude and LNG traffic. India is watching the waterway with particular anxiety. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this week that more than 4,500 Indian seafarers are aboard commercial vessels operating in the area, including 163 Indians on 12 active cargo ships. Six India-flagged commercial vessels are currently in the Persian Gulf, alongside six foreign-flagged vessels carrying cargo to India. "India continues to closely monitor the safety and well-being of Indian seafarers," Jaiswal said. The strike comes as the broader Iran conflict grinds on — The Justice has reported on its second front in Yemen, where hundreds have been killed or wounded in recent weeks. No party has claimed the Hormuz attack, and the projectile's origin remains unknown. What is known is the arithmetic of the chokepoint: a fifth of the world's oil moves through Hormuz, and each unclaimed strike raises the war-risk premium that importers — India prominent among them — ultimately pay.