Drone attack hits oil tanker near Sohar Port in Oman, two sailors missing

Muscat/ New Delhi, Oct. 12 (SANA) A drone attack struck a commercial oil tanker near Sohar Port in northern Oman on Sunday, leaving two Indian sailors missing, while separate maritime incidents were reported in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an update early Monday that it had reclassified an incident involving a tanker near Sohar from suspicious activity to an attack after confirming the vessel had been hit by a drone. Local authorities were assisting in evacuating the crew, while the extent of the damage and any environmental impact remained unclear.

UKMTO urged vessels to exercise caution and report suspicious activity as authorities continued their investigations.

Separately, Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the tanker MT Petro Dolphin, carrying 11 Indian sailors, had been attacked near Sohar in northern Oman, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Nine crew members were rescued, while and rescue operations continued for the two missing sailors, Sonowal said.

He added that the MT Valthera, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker carrying 11 Indian sailors , had been struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire on board. All Indian crew members were reported safe.

The incidents followed an earlier attack on the Panama-flagged cargo vessel MT On Peace near Oman. India’s Foreign Ministry said 12 crew members, most of them Indian nationals, were injured when the vessel was struck by a projectile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz off Oman.