Two Indian seafarers are missing after the tanker MT Petro Dolphin was reportedly hit by a drone at Sohar Anchorage off Oman on October 11. Nine of the 11 Indian crew members on board were rescued and are safe, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said. Search-and-rescue operations by the local Coast Guard were under way, he added.
The incident has drawn concern from Indian authorities over the safety of seafarers and commercial shipping in the region. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the tanker was reportedly struck by a drone and confirmed that two Indian crew members were missing. It called for attacks on commercial vessels, seafarers and civilian infrastructure to cease.
The available reports identify the vessel as MT Petro Dolphin and place the incident at Sohar Anchorage, off Oman. They do not provide details about the circumstances of the attack, the extent of damage to the tanker or the identities of the missing seafarers. The cause of the incident has also not been established in the information released so far.
The MEA also referred to a separate attack on another commercial vessel, MT Valthera, in the Strait of Hormuz region. The ministry described recurring attacks on commercial shipping as deeply concerning and said they risk worsening an already volatile situation. It urged immediate de-escalation through dialogue and diplomacy.
The incidents have renewed attention on the risks faced by civilian vessels and crew members operating in the region. India’s statement stressed that the safety of seafarers must be protected and that commercial shipping should not be targeted. The ministry also called for freedom of navigation to be respected.
For the two missing crew members from MT Petro Dolphin, the immediate priority remains the search-and-rescue effort. Sonowal said the local Coast Guard was actively searching for them, while Indian authorities were coordinating with relevant agencies to support the operation. No further information about the search outcome was available in the cited reports.
