India condemns attack on Indian-flagged cargo vessel off Oman as one sailor dies and 13 are rescued
India has condemned the attack on the Indian-flagged cargo vessel MSV Al Jusufi near Oman, in which one seafarer from Gujarat died and 13 crew members were rescued by the Omani Coast Guard.
India has condemned an attack on an Indian-flagged cargo vessel off the coast of Oman, after one seafarer died and 13 others were rescued, in the latest strike on commercial shipping in waters shadowed by the war between the United States and Iran.
The vessel, the MSV Al Jusufi, was carrying 14 Indian seafarers when it was struck by what Indian officials described as an unidentified aerial object while navigating near Limah, in Omani waters, on the evening of 2 November. The Omani Coast Guard rescued 13 crew members after they evacuated the vessel.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the death of one crew member, Gandhar Nahim Ajij, from Gujarat, who succumbed to injuries sustained in the incident. In a statement on social media, Sonowal offered condolences to the sailor’s family and said the ministry and the Indian embassy in Oman were in contact with local authorities.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a formal condemnation of the attack on Tuesday, saying it was deeply concerned by the continuing incidents against commercial vessels in the region. The ministry said the Indian embassy in Oman was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with Omani authorities for the early repatriation of the 13 rescued sailors and the mortal remains of the sailor who died.
The ministry also used the statement to press for an end to the wider confrontation. It reiterated India’s call for immediate de-escalation of tensions and for the conclusion of ongoing negotiations for a diplomatic solution, so that peace and stability can return to the region.
According to data cited by the ministry, the sailor who died became the 15th Indian killed in attacks on merchant ships around the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Iranian strikes in the strait began in March. Other reporting, covering a wider area of Gulf waters, has put the overall number of Indians killed in shipping attacks higher, at more than 20, reflecting different counting periods and areas.
The attack fits a pattern of mounting danger for merchant shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes. Industry and maritime monitoring data cited in reporting on the incident put the number of attacks on commercial vessels since the conflict began at more than 120, with shipowners, crews and insurers all facing higher risk and higher costs.
It is not yet clear who carried out the strike on the Al Jusufi, or what weapon was used. No group has publicly claimed responsibility in the reporting so far, and Indian officials have described the object only as unidentified. That uncertainty is itself part of the wider picture: vessels in the region have been hit in a series of incidents in recent months, while the parties to the wider conflict have traded accusations over responsibility.
The Al Jusufi is a comparatively small vessel, described in shipping records as a 52-metre cargo ship, and in some reports as a dhow. Its size underlines a point often lost in coverage of the shipping crisis: the crews at risk are not only on large tankers and container ships, but also on smaller coastal and regional cargo vessels that carry trade between Gulf ports.
For India, the human cost has become a recurring diplomatic issue. With large numbers of Indian nationals working at sea, each fatal incident has drawn a ministerial statement, an embassy response and a renewed call for safe navigation through international waters. The foreign ministry has repeatedly condemned attacks on commercial vessels and called for unimpeded and safe passage.
What happens next will depend on two separate tracks. On the immediate, practical track, Omani and Indian authorities are expected to complete the repatriation of the survivors and the deceased sailor, while the circumstances of the strike are examined. On the diplomatic track, the incident adds pressure to efforts to reach a negotiated settlement between the US and Iran, which India and other countries have urged as the only durable way to restore safety for shipping.
Until such a settlement is reached, however, the risk to crews in the region remains. Shipowners may reroute, insurers may raise premiums, and seafarers from India and other countries will continue to sail through waters where a single unidentified object can turn an ordinary voyage into a fatal one.
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