Two Indians missing, 9 rescued as drone attacks oil tanker off Oman coast

A drone attack on tanker MT Petro Dolphin at Sohar Anchorage on October 11 left two Indian seafarers missing, while nine others were rescued and are safe, according to Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.

"On Oct 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," he said.


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Local Coast Guard are actively conducting search and rescue operations in the region.

The Indian government is 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.

India condemned the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz region.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted that MT PETRO DOLPHIN was reportedly struck by a drone, with two of the 11 Indian seafarers onboard reported missing, while MT VALTHERA, Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, was struck by an unknown projectile, resulting in a fire onboard.

"All 11 Indian seafarers onboard МТ VALTHERA are reported to be safe. The Embassy of India in Muscat is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Omani authorities and respective ship management companies for the rescue of missing Indians and to provide all possible assistance to the Indian crew," it said.

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The safety and security of Indian seafarers remain a priority for the the Indian government, it said, adding that the recurring attacks on commercial shipping in the region are "deeply concerning and risk further aggravating an already volatile situation".

India reiterated the call for immediate de-escalation and a resolution to the ongoing conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Attacks on commercial vessels, seafarers and civilian infrastructure must cease, the MEA said, highlighting that the freedom of navigation and the safe, unimpeded flow of maritime commerce through international waterways, in accordance with international law, must be upheld.

The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia informed that Embassy officials visited all hospitals where Indian nationals injured in the attack had been admitted.

"As mentioned earlier, 1 Indian national unfortunately passed away today, 3 are in ICU but stable, 2 more are admitted in normal wards while others have been discharged," it said.

Earlier on Sunday, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker M/T Valthera, carrying 11 Indian seafarers, was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in an onboard fire.

Sonowal informed that all 11 Indian crew members were safe.

We are continuously monitoring the situation and remain in contact with the ship management company to ensure ongoing safety and wellbeing of our seafarers, he said.

The latest attacks occur as Iran said that the United States' response to Tehran's seven conditions in a proposal to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz was "insufficient".

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Iran had presented a proposal during the UN General Assembly under which the Hormuz waterway could be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days if the conditions were met, to which the US later replied via Qatari intermediaries.

Washington needs to clarify the issues that remain unclear to Tehran, Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said, adding "we presented seven conditions to the Americans and clearly stated that the Strait of Hormuz would not be opened to them, and no negotiations would take place, until these conditions are met."

He said Iran is "no longer in the process of responding to the Americans. In their response, they have accepted some of our conditions, while others remain unclear."

Qatar and other mediators have transmitted messages between Washington and Tehran in an effort to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the war that began at the end of February with US and Israeli attacks on Iran continues to rescalate.