Two Indian seafarers missing after drone attack on tanker off Oman’s Sohar

Two Indian seafarers remain missing after a drone attack on tanker MT Petro Dolphin at Oman’s Sohar Anchorage. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said nine crew members were rescued, while local Coast Guard teams continue search-and-rescue operations amid repeated regional shipping attacks

Muscat: Two Indian seafarers are missing after the tanker MT Petro Dolphin, carrying 11 Indian crew members, came under a drone attack at Sohar Anchorage in Oman on Sunday, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said, adding that nine of the Indians have been rescued.

“On October 11, tanker MT Petro Dolphin, carrying 11 Indian seafarers, was subjected to a drone attack at Sohar Anchorage. While nine of our Indian crew members have been successfully rescued and are safe, two Indian nationals currently remain missing,” Sonowal said on social media platform X.

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“Search-and-rescue operations are actively underway by the local Coast Guard. We are continuously coordinating with all relevant authorities to fully support the ongoing rescue efforts and ensure every possible action is taken to safely locate our missing personnel,” he added.

The Embassy of India in Muscat said it was closely monitoring the situation concerning the Nicaragua-flagged tanker. “The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation concerning MT Petro Dolphin, a Nicaragua-flagged tanker. Two of the 11 Indian seafarers onboard are reported missing. The Embassy is in close and continuous contact with the concerned authorities,” the Embassy said on X.

The attack comes days after another vessel with Indian crew members was targeted off the coast of Oman. On October 6, India condemned the attack on MT On Peace off the coast of Oman, which was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of such incidents in the interests of peace and stability in the region.

The total crew onboard the vessel includes 17 Indian nationals, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement. As many as 12 crew members, including 11 Indian nationals, were injured in the attack.

“We condemn the attack earlier today on a Panama-flagged commercial vessel MT On Peace (IMO 9893204) off the coast of Oman, where it was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Of the total crew of 19, 17 are Indian nationals. It is learnt that 12 crew members have been injured, including 11 Indian nationals,” the MEA said in a statement.

The MEA added that the continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region remain a “cause of deep concern for India” and reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of such attacks in the interests of peace and stability in the region.

“The targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and navigation and commerce through international waterways must be restored at the earliest,” the MEA statement said.