Two Indian sailors missing after a Nicaragua-flagged tanker attacked by drone, 9 rescued

Two Indian sailors were missing after a Nicaragua-flagged tanker MT Petro Dolphin, carrying 11 Indian seafarers, was attacked by a drone at Sohar Anchorage off Oman. Nine Indian crew members were rescued and reported safe, while two remained missing, according to Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Search-and-rescue operations are underway by the local Coast Guard.

Taking to social media platform X Sonowal wrote, "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."

The Ministry of external Affairs (MEA) condemned that attack as “deeply concerning” and said that such incidents only aggravate an already volatile situation in the region.

Meanwhile, search-and-rescue operations are underway by the local coast guard to locate the missing seafarers.

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"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," said Sonowal.

The Indian Embassy in Muscat is also said monitoring the situation and is in contact with the local authoritties.

"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 in a post on X.

In a separate incident on the same day (Oct 11), Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MT Valthera, carrying 11 Indian seafarers, was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a fire onboard. All 11 Indian crew members were reported safe, said Sonowal.

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.