Drone Strike on Cargo Ship Leaves 23 Indian Seafarers
A drone attack on the MV Baryon forced its crew to battle a fire while sailing toward Karachi.
A cargo vessel with 23 Indian crew members aboard was struck by a drone on September 2 while en route from Russia to Pakistan, according to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI). The ship, identified as the MV Baryon (IMO 9151412), was sailing from the port of Novorossiysk to Karachi when the unmanned aerial vehicle hit its accommodation area, sparking a fire.
The crew successfully extinguished the flames without assistance and the vessel continued toward its destination under its own power. FSUI General Secretary Manoj Yadav confirmed that a second drone was spotted during the incident, though no injuries were reported among the 23 Indian seafarers on board.
Rising Threats to Indian Seafarers in High-Risk Waters
The attack on the MV Baryon marks the latest in a series of security incidents involving merchant ships with Indian crews in the Middle East and surrounding regions. The FSUI has called on India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and the Directorate General of Shipping to verify the crew’s safety and ensure protective measures for seafarers operating in conflict zones.
The union has also demanded that Indian authorities secure High Risk Area wages for sailors working in these volatile regions, emphasizing that seafarers are neutral actors in global trade and should not be targeted. In a statement posted on social media, the FSUI warned: “Indian seafarers keep global trade moving. That is not a licence to kill them.”
Recent months have seen a sharp increase in attacks on commercial shipping in the region. On August 20, the Eritrea-flagged oil tanker M.T. Sibu 1 was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 30 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast. The vessel had 20 crew members, including 16 Indians. A senior shipping ministry official confirmed that two other vessels were hijacked in separate incidents near Yemen and Somalia, involving a total of 22 Indian nationals.
In April, a merchant ship with 21 Indian crew members was targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, with the FSUI attributing the attack to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Additional incidents in June and July—including a U.S. military strike on a Palau-flagged tanker and an attack on a Mozambique-flagged LPG carrier in Iranian waters—have further heightened concerns over maritime security.
The FSUI has urged the Indian government to engage with relevant authorities to prevent future attacks, stressing that the safety of seafarers must be prioritized. For now, the MV Baryon’s crew remains in transit, awaiting further instructions from their employer and Indian officials.
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Updated 09:16 Data via CAMAL AI
