A drone attack on tanker MT Petro Dolphin at Sohar Anchorage on Sunday left two Indian seafarers missing, while nine of the 11 Indian crew members were rescued and are safe, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.
Local Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations were continuing, with Indian authorities coordinating with relevant agencies to help locate the missing crew.
The incident occurred at Sohar Anchorage, off Oman’s northern coast. The official ministry update did not provide details on the drone, the extent of damage to the tanker or how the two crew members went missing, and it has yet to identify who was responsible.
The Petro Dolphin attack was one of two incidents involving vessels carrying Indian seafarers on Sunday.
In a separate update, the union minister confirmed that the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker M/T Valthera, carrying 11 Indian seafarers, was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire on board.
All 11 Indian crew members were reported safe, and the minister said authorities were in contact with the ship-management company.
The two incidents took place in different locations and involved different vessels.
These incidents also underline the wider concern that repeated attacks pose to ships using key Gulf routes.
Sonowal said the government was coordinating with relevant authorities on the Petro Dolphin rescue and monitoring the Valthera situation, as of the latest update.
