GS2 · IROn 11 October 2026 India condemned attacks on two tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. Two of 11 Indian seafarers on MT PETRO DOLPHIN were reported missing; all 11 Indians on MT VALTHERA were safe. In a second statement India condemned Houthi attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Marshall Islands flag. · Mains GS-II: India and West Asia, diaspora and seafarer safety; GS-III: energy security.
12 Oct 2026GS2 · Diaspora / GS3 · SecurityBetween July and October 2026 MEA issued a series of statements on attacks on merchant ships carrying Indian crew in the Strait of Hormuz, off Oman, in the Red Sea and in the Black Sea. Several Indian seafarers were killed or injured. On 7 October India again asked for an immediate end to attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers.
UPSC angle: Prelims: straits and ports in news. · Mains GS-II: diaspora; GS-III: maritime security.
7 Oct 2026GS1 · Geography (mapping)On 2 October 2026 the Government, in consultation with the UT of Ladakh, identified 28 places and features in Ladakh by standard names on the official Survey of India map. They include peaks such as Atisha Giri, Kanishka Peak and Zorawar Peak, the Chapchingal and Shachmirk passes, Skamri Glacier, Guru Rinpoche Lake and Yangpa River.
UPSC angle: Prelims: feature-type matching (peak/pass/glacier).
2 Oct 2026GS3 · Supply chainsFour ships carrying urea, DAP and sulphur crossed the Strait of Hormuz and were headed to Krishnapatnam, Kakinada, Paradeep and Mundra, the Fertilizers Ministry said on 22 June 2026. Cumulative fertiliser stock that day was 196.08 Lakh Tons, up from 168.67 Lakh Tons a year earlier. Over 90 LMT of urea and P&K had been tied up for kharif.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Strait of Hormuz location. · Mains: chokepoints and India's security.
22 Jun 2026GS3 · Maritime securityThe Indian Navy's Southern Naval Command recovered an unexploded missile warhead from crude oil tanker MT Olympic Life near Kochi. The Marshall Islands-flagged ship, with no Indian nationals aboard, reported a hull explosion off Oman on 26 May 2026 while sailing Fujairah to Kochi. IFC-IOR cueing led to an EOD extraction from a fuel tank.
UPSC angle: Prelims: IFC-IOR.
11 Jun 2026GS2 · IRNaming Hormuz in a ceasefire statement shows where India's main worry lay: energy and shipping.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Strait of Hormuz (Persian Gulf to Gulf of Oman). · Mains: energy security and freedom of navigation.
8 Apr 2026 
