UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Can India protect its seafarers in Gulf?
Q1. In the June 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, how many Indian crew members were reportedly aboard the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello when it was struck by US Navy forces enforcing the blockade on Iran-linked shipping?
Q2. With reference to the June 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis and the December 2023 MV Chem Pluto incident, consider the following statements:
1. Both the MT Settebello (2026) and the MV Chem Pluto (2023) were Palau-flagged merchant tankers carrying predominantly Indian crews.
2. Unlike the 2023 Chem Pluto attack, which was attributed by the US military to Houthi drones, the June 2026 attacks on MT Marivex and MT Settebello were carried out by US Navy forces enforcing a blockade on Iran-linked shipping.
3. Following the December 2023 Chem Pluto attack, the Indian Navy deployed Guided Missile Destroyers including INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata to enhance maritime security in the Arabian Sea.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Both the MT Settebello (2026) and the MV Chem Pluto (2023) were Palau-flagged merchant tankers carrying predominantly Indian crews.
- Unlike the 2023 Chem Pluto attack, which was attributed by the US military to Houthi drones, the June 2026 attacks on MT Marivex and MT Settebello were carried out by US Navy forces enforcing a blockade on Iran-linked shipping.
- Following the December 2023 Chem Pluto attack, the Indian Navy deployed Guided Missile Destroyers including INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata to enhance maritime security in the Arabian Sea.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. Which one of the following is presently the world's busiest maritime oil chokepoint, accounting in 2025 for roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption and about 27% of seaborne oil trade — a status that has made the protection of Indian-crewed tankers transiting it a recurring diplomatic concern for India?
- A. Strait of Malacca
- B. Bab el-Mandeb
- C. Suez Canal
- D. Strait of Hormuz
Q4. Consider the following merchant vessels reportedly struck during the June 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis by US Navy forces enforcing the blockade on Iran-linked shipping:
1. MT Marivex
2. MT Settebello
3. MT Jalveer
4. MV Chem Pluto
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?
- MT Marivex
- MT Settebello
- MT Jalveer
- MV Chem Pluto
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 4 only
Q5. With reference to merchant vessels with Indian seafarers attacked in recent maritime incidents, consider the following vessel–flag-state pairs:
1. MT Marivex — Palau
2. MT Settebello — Palau
3. MT Jalveer — Guinea-Bissau
4. MV Chem Pluto — Panama
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- MT Marivex — Palau
- MT Settebello — Palau
- MT Jalveer — Guinea-Bissau
- MV Chem Pluto — Panama
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 3 and 4 only