Two Indian sailors were missing after a commercial vessel, carrying 11 Indian crew members, was hit by a drone attack off the coast of Oman. Nicaragua-flagged tanker, MT Petro Dolphin, with 11 Indian seafarers on board, came under attack at the anchorage area for the port of Sohar in northern Oman, according to Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
“On October 11, tanker MT Petro Dolphin, carrying 11 Indian seafarers, was subjected to a drone attack at Sohar Anchorage. India is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to the shipping ministry.
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. The minister said search-and-rescue operations were 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 said. The Embassy of India in Muscat also said it was closely monitoring the situation concerning the Nicaragua-flagged tanker. “The continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region remain a cause of deep concern,” the ministry said.
