India calls for end to attacks on commercial vessels in Middle East

India's Ministry of External Affairs has condemned the attack on the Indian-flagged vessel Faize Noore Oliya off the coast of Yemen, calling for an end to such attacks and the swift restoration of freedom of navigation in the region.

“We condemn the attack on the Indian flagged commercial vessel, MSV Faize Noore Oliya that sank in the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen on August 4, 2026. All 13 Indian nationals have been rescued,” the ministry said in a statement published on its website.

The ministry stated that India's Embassy in Riyadh was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Yemeni authorities to ensure the crew's safety, while thanking the Yemeni authorities for their support.

“The continuing incidents of attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply worrisome. The targeting of commercial shipping in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, must be restored at the earliest,” the statement read.

The condemnation came after the Indian-flagged vessel Faize Noore Oliya was hit by a projectile roughly 13 nautical miles south of Al Hudaydah, causing it to capsize and sink in the Red Sea on August 4, 2026.

All 14 crew members—13 Indians and one Yemeni—were safely rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard and taken to the Port of Mokha with no casualties reported, while Yemen’s government accused Iran-backed Houthi forces of the attack.

By Jeyhun Aghazada