Two Indian seafarers missing after drone strike on tanker off Oman

Two Indian seafarers were still missing on Monday afternoon after a drone struck the tanker MT Petro Dolphin at Sohar Anchorage, off Oman, on Sunday, 11 October. A seafarers’ union has named them as Bir Bahadur Yadav and Amit Singh. Nine other Indian crew members were rescued and are safe, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.

It was one of two attacks on Indian-crewed tankers on Sunday. MT Valthera, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, which set off a fire on board. All 11 Indian seafarers on it are safe. Two days earlier, on 9 October, a drone hit the Panama-flagged crude tanker MT Gem No. 2 at Sharjah Anchorage. All 22 Indians on board are safe.

Three tankers, 44 Indian crew

• 2 missing MT Petro Dolphin, Nicaragua flagDrone strike at Sohar Anchorage, Oman, on 11 October; 9 of 11 Indian crew rescued.
• 11 safe MT Valthera, Marshall Islands flagHit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on 11 October, causing a fire.
• 22 safe MT Gem No. 2, Panama flagDrone strike at Sharjah Anchorage, UAE, on 9 October.

India calls for de-escalation

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned Sunday’s attacks the same day. “The safety and security of Indian seafarers remain a priority for the Government of India,” it said. It called the recurring attacks on shipping in the region “deeply concerning” and repeated India’s call for “immediate de-escalation” and an end to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Attacks on commercial vessels, seafarers and civilian infrastructure must cease.

The ministry said freedom of navigation through international waterways must be upheld under international law. It pointed to the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, which India and Liberia launched on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.

The search off Sohar

“Search-and-rescue operations are actively underway by the local Coast Guard,” Sonowal said on X. He said the government was working with all relevant authorities “to safely locate our missing personnel”. The Indian Embassy in Muscat said it was “in close and continuous contact with the concerned authorities” and is coordinating with Omani authorities and the ship management companies. No update on the two men had been made public by Monday afternoon.

The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) said on X that it was “awaiting urgent status update on 2 missing Indian seafarers from MT Petro Dolphin”. It called for immediate confirmation of their status and support for their families.

Who is behind the attacks

Neither the MEA nor Sonowal named an attacker, and no claim of responsibility for Sunday’s strikes had been reported by Monday afternoon. The Sohar attack was reported to be a suspected Iranian strike, far from the main conflict zone around the Strait. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy was reported last week to have threatened to pursue vessels that cross Hormuz without Iranian authorisation “throughout the region”.

The war involving Iran began in late February. Iranian attacks on ships in the strait were reported to be more frequent in early October than at any time since.

Indian crews have been hit before. On 6 October the MEA said 12 crew members of MT On Peace, 11 of them Indian, were injured when a projectile struck the ship in the Strait of Hormuz. In July an Indian seafarer was killed on MT Al Bahiyah, and India summoned Iran’s deputy chief of mission in protest.

Indian crews in the Gulf conflict

1. 14 Jul 2026One Indian killed on MT Al Bahiyah; India summons Iran's deputy chief of mission.
2. 15 Jul 2026Shipping regulator bars deployment of Indian seafarers on voyages through Hormuz.
3. 5 Aug 2026New DGMA advisory allows such voyages only with each seafarer's consent.
4. 6 Oct 2026MEA says 11 Indians among 12 injured on MT On Peace.
5. 9 Oct 2026Drone hits MT Gem No. 2 at Sharjah Anchorage; 22 Indians safe.
6. 11 Oct 2026Petro Dolphin hit off Sohar, two Indians missing; fire on MT Valthera, 11 Indians safe.

Rules for Indian crews

Under an advisory issued on 5 August by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), companies that send Indian seafarers on voyages through Hormuz must inform the DG Communication Centre and get each seafarer’s consent. Masters in the Gulf must keep “a heightened level of security vigilance”. The advisory replaced a 15 July order that had barred such deployments altogether.