Indian Tanker Crosses Hormuz as 2 Vessels Forced To Turn Back After Firing

India's Foreign Secretary summoned Iran's ambassador in New Delhi for a meeting and conveyed India's deep concern about the shooting incident involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He urged Tehran to relay India's views to Iranian authorities and to resume facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait at the earliest.

TankerTrackers.com reported two India-flagged ships, including a supertanker carrying Iraqi crude, were forced to turn back after coming under fire.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported a tanker being approached by two Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps gunboats and fired upon about 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman, a factor cited in the-day developments.

MarineTraffic data showed India-flagged Desh Vaibhav and Desh Vibhor reversing course near the chokepoint, bringing the number of India-flagged ships in the Persian Gulf to 14. Desh Vaibhav and Desh Vibhor are owned by Shipping Corporation of India (SCI).

Very Large Crude Carrier Samnar Herad and Bulk Carrier Jag Arnav reported a firing incident while transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours and returned to the Persian Gulf. No injuries were reported among the crew.

Crude oil tanker Desh Garima, with 31 Indian seafarers onboard, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on April 18, 2026. The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) tanker is the 10th India-flagged vessel to have crossed the strait since early March, and Desh Garima is expected to reach Mumbai on April 22.

Indian-flagged vessels began crossing the Strait of Hormuz from early March 2026, as broadcasting of such movements continued amid the broader disruption.

The West Asia war outbreak began on February 28, 2026, disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption has left scores of commercial vessels and thousands of seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf, and the Strait handles about a fifth of global oil and LNG flows.