The human toll of the escalating conflict in and around the Strait of Hormuz continues to rise, with one Indian seafarer killed and at least 10 others injured after missile strikes on two commercial tankers on Tuesday, prompting renewed warnings that civilian mariners are increasingly bearing the cost of the crisis.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that one Indian national aboard the UAE-flagged tanker MT Al Bahiyah was killed and another injured when the vessel came under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A second UAE-flagged tanker, MT Mombasa, was also struck, leaving nine Indian crew members injured, including two reported to be in serious condition.

The two vessels carried a combined crew of 46, including 30 Indian nationals.

The latest casualties come just days after the Cyprus-flagged containership GFS Galaxy was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing its crew to abandon ship after a fire broke out onboard. One Indian seafarer from that vessel remains missing despite ongoing search efforts.

In response to Tuesday’s attacks, India summoned the Deputy Chief of Mission at Iran’s embassy in New Delhi to lodge what it described as a “strong protest.”

“We strongly condemn these attacks and acts of violence targeting seafarers and disrupting free and safe navigation through international waterways like the Strait of Hormuz,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The ministry called for an immediate cessation of violence, urging all parties to return to dialogue and diplomacy while demanding an end to attacks on commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure to restore free and unimpeded navigation through the region.

The attacks underscore mounting concerns within the maritime industry that merchant mariners have become increasingly exposed as military operations intensify around one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continues to publicly encourage commercial shipping to transit the Strait of Hormuz, repeatedly declaring on Truth Social that the waterway is “OPEN” and urging vessels to use the southern traffic lane along Oman’s coast despite a growing number of drone and missile attacks targeting ships along that route.

“Oil is flowing like never before, thanks to the awesome Power of the United States Military,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday following news of the latest attacks. “Because of them, and all members of the Most Powerful Military anywhere in the World, BY FAR, the Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran.”

U.S. Central Command on Tuesday announced a fourth consecutive day of strikes against Iranian targets, saying the operation was intended to “continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping.”

Even as U.S. forces sought to suppress the threat, maritime security officials warned that risks to commercial shipping remain acute.

The Joint Maritime Information Center on Tuesday kept the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz at SEVERE, warning that deliberate hostile action remains highly likely following 10 Iranian attacks since June 25. JMIC said traffic continued at reduced levels as operators delayed passages after the latest strikes, while IRGC attacks, hailing, drone overflights and targeted surveillance of merchant ships remained persistent, particularly against vessels transmitting AIS.

The guidance also warned that the renewed U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would further elevate regional risk, with neutral vessels facing possible visit-and-search checks, heavy naval activity, increased VHF hailing and pressure to divert toward the northern Iranian-controlled route. 

Iran has repeatedly warned that only vessels obtaining prior authorization through its Persian Gulf Security Administration (PGSA) will be permitted to transit, stating that only ships operating under the PGSA framework can expect security guarantees.

“Due to recent hostile actions by the US forces, passage through the Strait of Hormuz is currently unfeasible,” the PGSA reiterated on Monday. “Remember that the sole means of obtaining a passage permit is via our website.”

Last month, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) warned that “no commercial or operational consideration can justify exposing seafarers to such levels of danger,” urging shipowners and operators to place crew safety above commercial pressures when making voyage decisions.”Due to recent hostile actions by the US forces, passage through the Strait of Hormuz is currently unfeasible,” the PGSA said on Monday. “Remember that the sole means of obtaining a passage permit is via our website.”

“The protection of their lives must remain the overriding priority at all times,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, warning that the security situation had deteriorated to the point where “safe passage cannot be considered to exist”

The shipping industry’s leading organizations have echoed those concerns. In a rare joint statement issued in June, BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO said seafarers “should never be collateral damage, victims or instruments of political or military pressure.”

The groups have previously urged all parties to halt attacks on merchant vessels and stressed that commercial ships and their civilian crews must be protected under international law.

The latest attacks come despite repeated diplomatic appeals and warnings from the IMO that commercial shipping should not become a casualty of the conflict. At its 137th session this week, the IMO Council reaffirmed that the right of transit passage through international straits must not be threatened, impeded or suspended, condemned attacks on civilian commercial ships, and called for immediate de-escalation across the region.

The council also stressed that any arrangements affecting navigation through the Strait of Hormuz must preserve the non-discriminatory and unimpeded right of transit through the IMO-adopted traffic separation scheme.

The latest fatality brings the confirmed seafarer death toll in the Strait of Hormuz conflict to at least 15, with dozens more injured since attacks on commercial shipping intensified earlier this year.

For the maritime industry, the mounting casualties underscore an increasingly stark reality: despite competing military claims and political assurances, it is civilian merchant mariners who continue to bear the greatest human cost of the conflict.