Two Indian sailors missing after latest tanker attack off Oman

The latest sequence of reports began on October 6 with a projectile strike on the Panama-flagged tanker On Peace in the Strait of Hormuz, off Oman. Twelve crew members were injured, including 11 Indians, according to Al Jazeera.

Le Monde reported that the tanker carried 19 crew members, 17 of them Indian, and that the injured were evacuated to Oman. The evacuation figures differ across the coverage: Business Line reported that all 12 injured people were evacuated, while Middle East Eye reported an Omani medical evacuation of 10 crew members.

India condemned the targeting of commercial shipping and called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the ongoing conflicts, The Hindu reported.

On October 7, the concern extended beyond Hormuz. Bloomberg reported that India was engaging Ukraine and Russia to secure safe passage for grain and energy through the Black Sea, where fresh attacks were disrupting commercial shipping. Times of India India reported that attacks there had injured Indian seafarers.

On October 8, Indian Express reported an official's statement that 11 Indian seafarers had died since the West Asia war and 139 crew members were stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. Separately, Times of India India reported 16 seafarers killed across the Persian Gulf and Black Sea. Those figures cover different groups and cannot be treated as the same death toll.

A drone attack struck the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker MT GEM No. 2 on October 9, according to Times now. Its October 10 report cited Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as saying all 22 Indian seafarers aboard were safe.

Also on October 10, Arab News reported that the UAE National Guard had rescued 22 crew members from a burning oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf. On October 11, The Hindu reported confirmation from the Indian consulate that all 22 Indian crew members had been rescued and were safe.

The UAE location is described differently in the coverage. Times now placed the attack at Sharjah Anchorage, while Middle East Eye described the consulate's account of an incident off Ras al-Khaimah. The supplied reports do not resolve that difference.

On October 11, another tanker, MT PETRO DOLPHIN, was attacked while anchored off Sohar, Oman. Times of India Top Stories reported that it carried 11 Indian crew members, nine of whom were rescued, with two still unaccounted for.

The most urgent unresolved case is off Oman. Two Indian sailors were missing after Sunday's drone attack, shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, according to Arab News. The supplied coverage contains no subsequent confirmation of their whereabouts.

The rescue of all 22 Indians aboard MT GEM No. 2 is confirmed in the consulate account reported by The Hindu. That outcome is separate from the missing sailors aboard MT PETRO DOLPHIN and the injuries reported after the earlier Hormuz strike.

The immediate development to watch is an update on the two missing sailors from MT PETRO DOLPHIN. The latest report from Times of India Top Stories leaves them unaccounted for after nine crew members were rescued.

India's talks with Russia and Ukraine are another pending strand. Bloomberg reported efforts to ensure safe passage through the Black Sea, but the supplied coverage does not report a resulting agreement.