There are nearly 23,000 Indian sailors on merchants ships in the Gulf region, the Ministry of Ports and Shipping said Friday afternoon, echoing comments from last week as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war after joint United States-Israel attacks on Iran.
This include 677 sailors in 24 ships west of the Strait of Hormuz - the Iran-controlled passageway that carries a fifth of the world's annual oil supply, Special Secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha. There are 76 others in other ships east of Hormuz and all are being monitored, he said.
There were 28 ships on Thursday, Sinha noted.
The 28th - an oil tanker called Jag Prakash - has safely left the area.
Authorities, ship managers, and recruitment agencies are coordinating with Indian embassies and local authorities to ensure their safety and offer medical aid if needed, the ministry said.
Three sailors have died so far and four have been injured, the ministry said.
An eighth sailor is still missing.
The injured have been evacuated and are receiving medical treatment, Sinha said.
"The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways continues to closely monitor the maritime situation in the Persian Gulf region, which remains continuously evolving," he told reporters.
Attacks on tankers have already led to deaths of sailors from India and other nations.
Two Indians - Ashish Kumar and Dalip Singh, from Bihar and Rajasthan - were killed in strikes on Palau-flagged oil tanker, Skylight in the Gulf of Oman in the first week of March.
A third, Dixit Solanki from Mumbai, has been missing since the attack.
An as-yet unnamed Indian sailor died after the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu was attacked off the coast of Iraq. Fifteen other Indians on the tanker were safely evacuated.
Geo-intelligence expert Damien Symon said on X that at least 18 vessels have been targeted, either by Iran or Iran-backed armed groups, since the war began Feb 28.
