A serious incident came to light on Saturday amid tension in the Strait of Hormuz. Two Indian-flagged oil tankers had to return midway after firing by Iranian gunboats. It is a matter of relief that no ship was damaged in this firing nor was anyone injured. However, during this time, an audio message sent from a tanker has come to light, which gives an idea of the panic and confusion at that time.
This audio is related to the tanker Sanmar Herald carrying crude oil. In this message of about 30 seconds, a crew member of the ship, while talking to the Iranian Navy, says, Sepah Navy, Sepah Navy, I am calling motor tanker Sanmar Herald. You gave me permission to go ahead. My name is second in your list. You are firing right now. Let me turn back.
Here's today's audio recording involving SANMAR HERALD (9330563). pic.twitter.com/g0YqJOi6OX
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) April 18, 2026
This audio has been shared by a maritime intelligence company named Tanker Trackers, which keeps an eye on the activities of ships in the sea. According to the report, this tanker was in the green area at that time. The ship had turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) while heading east, but turned it on again while moving ahead. The name of the second ship on which firing took place is Jag Arnav.
After this incident, the Indian government gave a strict reaction. New Delhi expressed deep concern over this incident by calling Iran's ambassador. The Foreign Ministry said that the safety of its merchant ships and sailors is very important for India.
The Foreign Secretary reminded Iran that earlier it had helped in providing safe passage to the ships coming to India. He asked the Iranian Ambassador to convey India's concern to his country and make arrangements for the safe passage of Indian ships as soon as possible. The Iranian ambassador assured that he would convey this message to his officials.
