New Delhi, March 11 India on Wednesday condemned the escalating attacks on commercial shipping in West Asia after a Thai-flagged bulk carrier bound for Gujarat's Kandla Port was targeted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Three vessels were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to the UK's maritime agency.
The attacks have disrupted the key energy transit route that carries 20 per cent of the world's global crude oil shipments.
"We have received reports about the attack on the Thai ship, Mayuree Naree, in the Strait of Hormuz on March 11. The ship was en route to Kandla in India," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
It stated that India "condemns the targeting of commercial shipping by military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia."
"Several lives, including those of Indian citizens, have already been lost in such attacks during the earlier phase of this conflict, and the intensity and lethality of these attacks appear to be increasing," the MEA said in a statement.
"India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping, endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided," it said.
Global oil and gas prices have surged following Iran's near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Like many other countries, India has also been grappling with a shortage of petroleum products, particularly cooking gas, due to disruptions in the key energy route.
India meets half of its 191 million standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) of gas consumption through imports.
With tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz stalled, the supply of approximately 60 mmscmd of gas from the Middle East has been disrupted.