Indian cargo vessel sinks after Red Sea attack, all crew rescued

DUBAI – Coast guard teams rescued all crew members of an Indian-flagged merchant vessel that sank after being attacked in the Red Sea, a local official in the Yemeni city of Mokha said.

All 14 crew aboard the MSV Faize Noore Oliya – 13 Indian nationals and one Yemeni – were saved after the ship was attacked south of the port city of Hodeida, the official said.

Yemen's internationally recognised government blamed the Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the attack, according to the official news agency Saba.

Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on the platform X that the vessel had been hit by gunfire near Yemeni waters.

"India condemns in the strongest terms this unprovoked attack," he said.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal added: "The targeting of merchant vessels in the region must stop."

India is among the largest suppliers of seafarers to the global merchant shipping industry, with more than 320,000 active sailors in 2025, according to its shipping ministry.

Last month, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade in the Red Sea against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter, and have since claimed several attacks on oil tankers and infrastructure facilities.

Iran's restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz across the Arabian Peninsula, following the outbreak of war in West Asia, have made shipping routes through the Red Sea increasingly important.

Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port on the Red Sea allows the kingdom to keep shipping oil to global markets while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz entirely. – AFP