A ship with four Indians onboard was struck by a projectile at the port of Odesa in Ukraine on Saturday, said the Indian Embassy in Kyiv on Sunday.
While two of the Indian seafarers are safe, “information is awaited regarding the other two”, added the embassy.
“Search and rescue operations are under way,” it stated. “The embassy is in constant touch with the concerned authorities.”
The incident came days after four Indians were killed and one critically injured after a cargo ship was attacked while it departed the port of Odesa on July 19. The five Indians were among the 17 crew on board the ship.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had accused Russia of attacking the vessel inside his country’s maritime corridor. The incident came amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
On July 21, the external affairs ministry said that it had summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires to convey “India’s grave concerns and unequivocal condemnation” of the attack on the vessel.
Three days later, the ministry stated that an Indian seafarer was killed in an attack on a cargo ship in the Black Sea on July 18. The incident occurred when the merchant vessel Omorfi was transiting the sea and was reportedly in Russian territorial waters.
New Delhi did not say who it believed had attacked the ship.
MEA issues advisory
Stating that vessels in and around the Black Sea are facing significant security risks, the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday advised Indians employed or planning to undertake employment in the region to “carefully assess the security risks before accepting such assignments”.
It also asked those who choose to work on vessels operating in conflict zones to obtain information from employers regarding the vessel’s intended route, ports of call, security arrangements, insurance coverage and emergency response procedures.
The ministry further asked seafarers to keep their family informed about their itinerary and maintain regular contact with them.
It urged Indians to follow the advisories released by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration.
On July 23, the authority had asked Indian seafarers to report any security incident or suspicious activity on the DGCOMM Centre, which is the Directorate General of Shipping’s maritime communication, coordination and crisis response portal.
*Written by Anamika Pathak. Edited by Sneha. *
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