Damas Chemical and Oil Products Tanker leaves Fujairah Port, United Arab Emirates, 17 June 2019. Media reported that the Japan's tanker Kokuka Courageous, which is carrying a methanol, and Norway's tanker Front Altair are anchoring at the UAE Fujairah coast as the processing their cargoes to unloaded the shipments. According to media reports, two oil tankers, Japan's Kokuka Courageous and Norway's Front Altair, were damaged in the Gulf of Oman after allegedly being attacked in the early morning of 13 June between the UAE and Iran. EPA/ALI HAIDER Heramb Karmarkar, 30, was a marine engineer on the Cyprus-flagged container ship that was attacked off the coast of Oman on Sunday.
The vessel, with 11 Indians in its 24-member crew, was struck by an “unidentified projectile”, Cyprus authorities had said.
Iran said it had struck the ship after it attempted to transit through an unauthorised route despite warnings to correct its course.
Karmarkar’s father-in-law, Vivek Tandon, told Reuters that the company operating the vessel had informed him of his son-in-law’s death.
India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Karmarkar is the second Indian seafarer to be killed in the region in three days.
Another Indian seafarer was killed on Tuesday after two vessels were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
New Delhi lodged a strong protest with Iran after summoning its deputy ambassador over Tuesday’s killing.
Tehran says it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities with Washington reignited last week, but U.S. President Donald Trump says the waterway is open to all shipping traffic except that of Iran.
(Reporting by Saurabh Sharma; Writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar and Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and YP Rajesh)