A Panama-flagged commercial tanker was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on October 6, 2026, injuring 12 of its 19 crew members — 11 of them Indian nationals — in the latest maritime security incident to rattle one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the attack on the vessel, identified as the MT On Peace, in an official statement, condemning the strike and calling for an immediate end to hostilities targeting commercial shipping in the region.
India Condemns the Attack as 11 of 12 Injured Sailors Are Confirmed Indian Nationals
India’s foreign ministry confirmed that the MT On Peace, a Panama-flagged tanker, was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on October 6, 2026. The vessel was carrying a crew of 19, of whom 17 were Indian nationals.
“We condemn the attack earlier today on a Panama-flagged commercial vessel MT On Peace,” the ministry stated. Of the 12 crew members injured in the strike, 11 are Indian citizens.
With assistance from Omani authorities, all injured crew members were evacuated and are receiving medical treatment in Khasab, in Oman’s Musandam Governorate — a port situated at the strategic tip of the Hormuz passage.
Strait of Hormuz Attacks Escalate: An Indian Sailor Was Killed in the Same Region Just Last Month
The October 6 attack on the MT On Peace is not an isolated incident. India’s foreign ministry noted that a separate attack on a cargo ship transiting the same region the previous month had killed an Indian sailor — underscoring a pattern of escalating strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
India is one of the largest contributors of maritime workers to global merchant shipping, and several Indian mariners have been killed in Hormuz-area attacks since the Middle East war began on February 28. The repeated targeting of Indian crew members has drawn sustained diplomatic attention from New Delhi.
“The continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region remain a cause of deep concern for India,” the ministry stated.
Iran’s Control Over the Hormuz Shipping Lane Sits at the Centre of the Broader Maritime Conflict
The Strait of Hormuz, through which an estimated 20 to 21 million barrels of oil and liquefied natural gas transit daily, has become a contested waterway since the outbreak of the regional war. Iran has sought to assert authority over the vital shipping lane, periodically striking vessels it accuses of failing to coordinate with Iranian authorities or deviating from its preferred routes.
In response, the United States has enforced a counter-blockade of Iranian ports, conducting strikes on ships it says refuse to comply with its directives. The result is a dual-pressure environment in which commercial vessels — including tankers like the MT On Peace — face risk from multiple state actors operating in the same corridor.
The combination of Iranian interdiction tactics and US counter-operations has transformed the Strait of Hormuz into one of the most high-risk maritime transit zones in the world as of late 2026.
India Calls for Immediate Cessation of Attacks, Citing Threats to Global Navigation and Commerce
India’s foreign ministry issued a direct call for all parties to end attacks on commercial shipping in the region. “We reiterate our call for an immediate cessation of such attacks in the interests of peace and stability in the region,” the statement read.
New Delhi’s position goes beyond the immediate welfare of its nationals. The ministry explicitly linked the protection of seafarers to the broader principle of freedom of navigation through international waterways, a concern that carries economic as well as humanitarian dimensions.
“The targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and navigation and commerce through international waterways must be restored at the earliest,” the ministry stated.
With India supplying a significant share of the global maritime workforce — estimated at approximately 12 per cent of the world’s seafarers — New Delhi’s diplomatic leverage on this issue is considerable, and the frequency of attacks on Indian-crewed vessels is placing sustained pressure on that position.
Key Facts: MT On Peace Tanker Attack in the Strait of Hormuz
- Vessel: MT On Peace, Panama-flagged commercial tanker
- Incident date: October 6, 2026
- Location: Strait of Hormuz, during transit
- Total crew: 19, of whom 17 are Indian nationals
- Injured: 12 crew members, including 11 Indian nationals
- Medical treatment: All injured evacuated to Khasab, Oman, with assistance from Omani authorities
- India’s position: Condemns the attack; calls for immediate cessation of strikes on commercial shipping
- Context: A separate attack in the same region the previous month killed an Indian sailor; multiple Indian mariners have been killed in Hormuz attacks since the war began on February 28
Source: AFP / India Ministry of External Affairs
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