A Gujarat sailor died and five others were injured after dhow was caught in crossfire in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, according to a seafarers association representative. Officials of the shipping directorate, who asked not to be named, confirmed the incident but did not offer details. They said they were providing assistance.
The vessel, a wooden dhow called Al Faize Noore Sulemani 1, had a crew of 18. It had left Dubai on May 7 and was headed to Mukkam in Yemen when, at around 1am on May 8, it came under fire while crossing the strait — which is at the heart of the Iran-US conflict with neither side allowing marine traffic.
In a letter to officials, Adam Bhaya, general secretary of the Indian Sailing Vessels Association (Gujarat), described the incident as being an “unfortunate and violent” exchange between US and Iranian forces.
The deceased, Altaf Talab Ker, served as engine driver on the dhow. He is from Salaya village in Dwarka district, Gujarat.
The remaining crew were rescued by MSV Prem Sagar-I (BDI-1491) at around 7am local time and reached Dubai Port by 6pm the same day. They are being treated in a local hospital
