India renews call for safe navigation in Hormuz as 10 attacks recorded in November
Key Facts
India renewed its call on November 10 to ensure free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and the foreign ministry said it was in contact with relevant parties to prevent attacks on civilian vessels and seafarers, including Indian seafarers and Indian-flagged ships. The statement places the safety of Indian workers in the shipping sector within a broader diplomatic effort to protect vessel traffic through the passage. The foreign ministry spokesperson, as quoted by the Press Trust of India, said New Delhi "again calls for free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz." The country was in contact with relevant parties to prevent attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers, the spokesperson added. The call came amid continued incidents targeting vessels in the region.
India's concerns include seafarers working on foreign vessels, as well as Indian-flagged ships, according to the foreign ministry. The issue has direct significance for India after an Indian sailor was killed in an attack on a commercial vessel near Lima, Oman, on November 2, according to a Press Trust of India report. India condemned that attack, the same report said. That incident is separate from the attack that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said targeted one of its vessels in UAE territorial waters in the Arabian Gulf. The company did not identify the vessel or the party responsible, according to the Associated Press. The different locations and dates mean the incidents should not be combined into a single event.
Amid the maritime escalation, the Associated Press said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that 3 ships had struck sea mines and caught fire while using a route it described as unauthorized. The agency attributed the claim to Iranian television but said it could not be independently verified. Details of the incident, including the number of ships and their fate, therefore remained part of the Revolutionary Guard's account as reported. The announcement points to some of the risks surrounding vessel traffic in the strait, but does not establish a link between the three ships and any other attack reported in the Gulf. Reuters also reported that 37 ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waterways during October, the highest monthly total since the war began.
Reuters recorded 10 further attacks through its report dated November 11, placing the latest developments within the continuation of incidents this month. On November 11, Brent crude futures rose 71 cents, or 0.78%, to $92.20 a barrel by 0119 GMT. West Texas Intermediate rose 49 cents, or 0.57%, to $86.53 a barrel at the same time. Reuters said the market was weighing hopes for de-escalation against the risks of attacks on shipping. These prices show market movements at a specific time, without Reuters attributing the rise to a single incident. The figures followed oil's fall to a two-month low, according to the headline of a Reuters report that referred to that earlier level.
The current developments follow earlier maritime warnings about passage through the strait. EL7's archive includes a story dated November 4 about the International Maritime Organization advising commercial vessels to avoid passage because of security concerns. The story's headline said the organization had recorded about 30 attacks, reflecting the scale of the warning as reported in that archive. In earlier background related to the effects of shipping disruption on Indian trade, EL7's archive carried a story on August 25 about rising oil import costs for India as shipping rates through the strait quadrupled. That information is dated to earlier periods and does not represent a measure of current shipping costs. India's November 10 statement focuses on New Delhi's contacts to prevent attacks and ensure the safety of civilian vessels and seafarers.