A drone strike slammed into the Nicaragua-flagged MT Petro Dolphin while it sat at anchor off Oman’s Sohar Anchorage on October 11, sparking a fierce fire that sent thick black smoke billowing skyward and left two Indian sailors missing. Nine of the eleven Indian crew members were pulled to safety by rescuers, but seafarers Bir Bahadur Yadav and Amit Singh remain unaccounted for as Omani coast guard teams push on with urgent search-and-rescue efforts. Indian officials confirmed the vessel, a small UAE-operated product tanker, came under attack in broad daylight, turning a routine anchorage into a scene of chaos and fear. The strike forms part of a disturbing weekend pattern, with at least three vessels targeted near the vital Strait of Hormuz as regional tensions boil over. India’s shipping minister and the Ministry of External Affairs quickly condemned the assault and demanded immediate de-escalation, warning that attacks on commercial shipping endanger lives and global trade. Thick smoke and flames visible in circulating footage have only heightened alarm among seafarers and families waiting for word on the missing men.

The incident adds to a string of strikes that also included a projectile hit on the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera in the Strait of Hormuz, which sparked a fire yet left all eleven Indian crew members unharmed. UK Maritime Trade Operations verified the drone strike on the Petro Dolphin, while Indian diplomats in Oman stay in constant contact with local authorities and the ship’s managers to support the ongoing search. Families of the missing sailors are desperate for updates, and a seafarers’ union has publicly named the two men while pressing for stronger protection of crews working these dangerous waters. Officials stress that the safety of Indian seafarers remains a top priority even as the Strait of Hormuz continues to see repeated threats to commercial traffic. The attacks have raised fresh questions about who is targeting civilian vessels and how far the violence will spread. With search teams still scouring the waters off Oman, the full human cost of this latest strike is still unfolding.