Grief-stricken families wait for news of two sailors missing after drone attack off Oman

Two families are enduring profound anguish as they await news of two young sailors who have been missing for days after a drone strike hit an empty tanker off the coast of Oman.

The oil tanker MT Petro Dolphin was struck near the Sohar anchorage on Sunday. Relatives in two villages in northern India are desperate for information about Amit Singh, 20, and Bir Bahadur Yadav, 25, who were on the main deck when the drone hit and a fire broke out.

India’s External Affairs Ministry confirmed that of the 12 crew members aboard the Nicaraguan-flagged vessel, nine Indian nationals and one Bangladeshi were rescued, while two seafarers remain unaccounted for. Both missing men were on their first sailing assignment, and their families described the overwhelming sense of loss upon learning of the attack.

Shattered Dreams

“Amit’s parents are in and out of consciousness, they cannot cope. It’s all finished, there are no dreams left, it’s all broken,” Amit Singh’s uncle, Ravindar Singh, told The National from Gopala village in Uttar Pradesh. “It’s as if they are dead. As long as they live, they will be in this condition, like death. We are trying to support them but what can we say to comfort them?”

Maritime agency reports indicate that at least 12 tankers have been attacked in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz over the past week, as Iran intensifies its campaign to disrupt US-backed efforts to move oil. According to the International Maritime Organisation, there have been 24 seafarer deaths and 104 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East since the Iran war began on 28 February.

Ravindar Singh, 40, an experienced seafarer, spoke with rescued crew members to learn where his nephew was when the drone struck. He said there is no hope of survival. “The men told me Amit was working on the main deck in the exact same place of the drone attack. We know he is no more,” Mr Singh said. “The crew were evacuated by fishermen. They went around the vessel to search in case the sailors had jumped into the sea, but found nothing.”

Video recorded by the crew shows fire and smoke engulfing parts of the tanker, and a sailor can be heard crying out: “My two crew have gone, Allah, my two men have died.”

Amit Singh came from a poor farming background, and his family was delighted when he followed his uncle into the merchant navy. He signed on with the tanker in January as an able seaman, handling navigation, mooring, cargo operations and maintenance of deck equipment. His uncle, who has been a sailor for 20 years, spoke of the escalating danger as merchant ships become targets in the Iran-US and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.

Ravindar Singh returned home in May after a projectile landed near his ship in the Black Sea. His nephew was due to complete his contract on 20 October, and the two had planned to find a safe voyage together. “Amit was excited about coming home,” Mr Singh said. “After the Iran war, it is the worst condition for sailors. But Amit’s vessel was not in the Strait of Hormuz, it was in anchorage. How can it be that sailors are not safe near the port?”

Mr Singh described his nephew’s aspirations to improve his family’s circumstances. “Amit was starting out in life. He wanted to save money to get his older sister married. His parents live on a small farm and he wanted a better life for them. This is so wrong. Why should Amit be gone? We are just seamen. We are like drivers, we load and unload cargo, we do as we are told. But they are targeting us. If the ship is the target, at least give sailors a warning. Property damage can be fixed but a sailor’s life is gone.”

Someone’s Son, Someone’s Brother

The family of the second sailor, Bir Bahadur Yadav, also from Uttar Pradesh, tried to shield his mother from news that he was missing, but she learned from villagers who heard it on television. “I didn’t want to tell my mother until we were sure but now she knows, her spirit is broken. She is constantly crying,” Mantoo Yadav, Bir’s elder brother, told The National from India. He works in Abu Dhabi and was visiting home when the attack occurred. “In this war, why are sailors being killed? It is someone’s son, someone’s husband, someone’s brother who is dying. What will you get from killing our brothers?”

The night before the drone attack, Bir Bahadur spoke to his family about wanting to return home. The youngest of four, he worked as a wiper, cleaning the engine room and machinery. He had four months remaining on a nine-month contract. “We had a long talk. He told us he had seen attacks and saw one ship hit nearby,” Mr Yadav said. “Bir was worried his ship would become a target. But he thought he should stay and finish the contract. We told him to come home but it was too late.”

Mr Yadav, 36, said his younger brother was determined to complete seafarer certifications to earn a higher rank. “Bir wanted to work hard, finish exams to get a good position. He was serious when he spoke but could also make people laugh. He was very loving,” said Mr Yadav. The family continues to hold on to hope. “We have been told that we will know about Bir only when the ship is brought to shore and checked,” Mr Yadav said. “The crew saw the attack and know the other sailor is no more. But the crew did not see Bir. What if he managed to jump off? There is 10 per cent hope that he is still alive. Maybe in the rescue, they will find him unconscious.”

Waiting for News

Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, spoke of the trauma families endure as they wait for updates from search operations. “It’s tough. When a vessel is hit by drone or rocket, there is fire and waterlogging,” said Mr Yadav, who is not related to the missing sailor. “It takes time to search the area for missing sailors, and families may not get an answer for days.”

Neither Iran nor the US has claimed responsibility for the drone strike. Maritime associations have called for greater protection for sailors as the war continues. “This tanker was anchored off Sohar, so what was the need to hit this vessel? The only danger is for sailors,” Mr Yadav said. “It’s a very alarming situation and the threat to sailors is growing. Families are suffering. We need strong measures to protect seafarers.”

India’s External Affairs Ministry has condemned the attacks. “The recurring attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply concerning and risk further aggravating an already volatile situation,” the Indian government said. “Attacks on commercial vessels, seafarers and civilian infrastructure must cease.”