DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Coast guards rescued the crew of an Indian-flagged commercial ship that sank in the Red Sea on Tuesday after an attack, a local official in the Yemeni city of Mokha said, with New Delhi condemning the “unprovoked” aggression.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government blamed the Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the attack, according to the official Saba news agency.

Last month, the Houthis declared a Red Sea maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of crude, and have since claimed several attacks on oil tankers and infrastructure.

All of the MSV Faize Noore Oliya’s crew members, comprising 13 Indian nationals and one Yemeni, were rescued after the vessel came under attack south of the port city of Hodeida, the official from Mokha said.

Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on X that the vessel was “hit by a projectile near Yemeni waters.”

“India strongly condemns this unprovoked attack,” he added.

India is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to Delhi’s shipping ministry.

“The targeting of commercial shipping in the region must end,” said Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula after the outbreak of the Middle East war has only placed greater importance on shipping lanes through the Red Sea.

The Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu has enabled it to keep up shipments to global markets by circumventing the Hormuz entirely.