India and Singapore Condemn Maritime Attacks in Hormuz and Black Sea

The Government of India and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore have condemned a surge of attacks on commercial shipping across the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea. In the Gulf region, the crude oil tanker MT ST 3 and the M/T Valthera were struck by projectiles, while the MT GEM NO. 2 suffered a drone strike. Two Singapore-registered container vessels, GFS Pride and GFS Giselle, were also hit in the Strait of Hormuz on October 13 and 14; the GFS Pride sank after catching fire, though all crew members were evacuated.

Iranian officials told Reuters that the state is employing new tactics to target civilian vessels to maintain high oil prices and influence U.S. midterm elections. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed one cargo ship sank after hitting a naval mine. Meanwhile, in the Black Sea, the chemical tanker YARA J was hit by a drone at Sulina Anchorage on October 14. The Embassy of India in Bucharest later confirmed that nine Indian seafarers aboard the YARA J arrived safely at the Port of Constanta.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed that 24 Indian nationals across recent attacks are safe, though two remain missing following an October 11 drone strike on the MT Petro Dolphin at Sohar Anchorage. At the United Nations Security Council, India's Permanent Representative Harish Parvathaneni described the strikes as legally and morally indefensible, calling for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities in West Asia to protect commercial navigation.