MUSCAT: Five Indian nationals were brought safely ashore after a Kuwait-flagged tanker was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, the Indian Embassy in Oman said on Friday.

The embassy said it coordinated the rescue of the Indians aboard MT Kazimah III and thanked Omani authorities for their support and assistance.

“All 5 Indian nationals have been shifted ashore safely,” the embassy said in a post on X.

The embassy’s statement did not identify the source of the projectile or provide details of damage to the vessel.

The rescue comes as Indian authorities monitor the safety of thousands of Indian seafarers working aboard commercial vessels in the Gulf.

Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday that more than 4,500 Indian seafarers were aboard commercial vessels operating in the region. He also cited about 163 Indian crew members aboard six Indian-flagged vessels and six foreign-flagged ships carrying cargo to India.

Jaiswal said the shipping ministry was coordinating with Indian diplomatic missions and local stakeholders to monitor vessel movements and provide assistance where needed.

India has also raised concerns over attacks on commercial shipping across the Gulf, the Red Sea and the Black Sea.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly last week, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said attacks on vessels had killed Indian seafarers and crew members from other countries.

He called for restraint and de-escalation in the Gulf to protect civilian crews, energy supplies and global trade, and urged countries to uphold international law.

Jaishankar said India had joined Liberia and 23 partner countries in a coalition seeking to build international support for the protection of commercial shipping and seafarers.