Two Indian sailors remain missing after their commercial tanker was targeted in a drone attack off the coast of Oman, India’s shipping minister confirmed on Sunday.
The MT Petro Dolphin, which had 11 Indian seafarers aboard, was struck near the anchorage area of Sohar Port in northern Oman. According to Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, nine of the Indian crew members have been safely rescued.
“Search and rescue operations are currently underway by local authorities,” Sonowal said in a post on X. “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.”
In a separate incident, the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker M/T Valthera — also carrying 11 Indian crew — was hit by a projectile Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz. The strike caused a fire, but all Indian crew members were reported safe.
India, one of the world’s largest contributors of seafarers to global shipping, had more than 320,000 active maritime workers in 2025, according to the shipping ministry. Dozens of Indian mariners have been killed in attacks in the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February.
Earlier this week, India’s foreign ministry condemned the attack on a Panama-flagged vessel struck near Oman while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said such incidents pose a growing threat to regional security.
“The continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region remain a cause of deep concern,” the foreign ministry said. “We reiterate our call for an immediate cessation of such attacks in the interests of peace and stability in the region.”
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