Indian Navy launches 'Operation Sankalp' in Gulf region amid tanker attacks

Indian Navy has launched 'Operation Sankalp' in the Persian Gulf/Gulf of Oman to re-assure Indian flagged vessels transiting through the area after recent attacks on ships as war tensions rise in the region as Iran-US dispute escalates.

Indian Navy launches 'Operation Sankalp' in the Persian Gulf/Gulf of Oman to re-assure Indian flagged vessels transiting through the area following the recent maritime incidents the region.

— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2019

A series of attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf has ratcheted up tensions between the US and Iran - and raised fears over the safety of one of Asia's most vital energy trade routes, where about a fifth of the world's oil passes through its narrowest at the Strait of Hormuz.

The attacks have jolted the shipping industry, with some of the 2,000 companies operating ships in the region on high alert and ordering their vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz only during the daylight hours and at high speed.