An oil tanker carrying six Indian seafarers was struck by a projectile in the Persian Gulf on November 10, 2026, as it transited from Al Ruwais to Dubai — and Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the attack on November 11, providing the first official account of the incident and the status of Indian nationals on board.

The vessel, Liberia-flagged VLCC MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY, is a Very Large Crude Carrier — the class of supertanker that forms the backbone of Gulf oil logistics. Four crew members sustained injuries in the strike. Among them, one Indian national suffered minor injuries and has been safely brought ashore for medical examination. The remaining 18 crew members, including the other five Indian seafarers, are safe and accounted for.

What the projectile strike means for Gulf shipping lanes

The Persian Gulf is among the world's most strategically loaded waterways — a chokepoint through which a significant share of global crude oil moves every day. Commercial vessels transiting its waters have periodically faced security incidents tied to regional tensions, and a strike on a supertanker on a routine run between two UAE ports underscores how exposed even workaday cargo voyages remain in this corridor.

The MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY was on a short inter-UAE transit — Al Ruwais, the site of one of the region's major petrochemical hubs, to Dubai — when it was hit. The flag state is Liberia, one of the world's largest ship registries, meaning India's leverage runs through coordination with both Monrovia and the vessel's commercial management company rather than a bilateral government channel alone.

India's seafarer welfare machinery kicks in

India is one of the world's largest suppliers of maritime labour, with hundreds of thousands of its nationals serving on foreign-flagged vessels at any given time. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways routinely functions as the primary government interface when Indian seafarers face emergencies abroad — coordinating with flag states, ship managers, and diplomatic missions to track crew welfare and facilitate medical evacuation or repatriation when needed.

Minister Sonowal confirmed that his ministry is 'continuously monitoring the situation and remain in close contact with the ship management company to ensure the ongoing security, medical care and wellbeing of our seafarers.' The injured Indian national's evacuation ashore signals that the standard protocol — prioritise medical access, then account for all remaining crew — is already under way.

What comes next: investigation and further medical updates

The nature and origin of the projectile have not yet been officially identified. The ministry's statement focuses on crew welfare rather than attribution — which is consistent with the government's immediate priorities but leaves open the larger question of who carried out the strike and why. Watch for further statements from the Ministry of External Affairs and India's diplomatic missions in the UAE as the investigation develops.

India has approximately 1.7 million seafarers in its registered maritime workforce, many of whom sail through the Gulf on any given day. One strike, one injured national, one supertanker — but the incident is a reminder that for New Delhi, maritime security in the Persian Gulf is never just a regional headline. It is a live welfare question for tens of thousands of Indian families.