India has denounced attacks on merchant shipping in the West Asia conflict after a Thai-flagged vessel bound for Kandla port was fired upon by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Three vessels were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, taking the number of commercial ships attacked in the region to 13 since the Iran-US conflict began.
Twenty crew members of the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree, a dry bulk vessel, were rescued, while three remain missing.
The crew abandoned the vessel in a lifeboat and were rescued by the Omani Navy.
India's external affairs ministry said the attack on Mayuree Naree was 'deplorable' and that commercial shipping should be avoided in the conflict.
Two Indian seafarers were killed and another reported missing in earlier attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
Indians constitute almost 12% of the global seafaring workforce, with over 320,000 active sailors.
