An Indian-flagged mechanised sailing vessel, MSV Al Jusufi, was struck by an unidentified aerial object while navigating off the coast of Oman on November 2, killing one Indian seafarer and prompting the rescue of the remaining 13 crew by the Omani Coast Guard. India’s Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, confirmed the attack and casualty in a statement on November 3.
The deceased was identified as Gandhar Nahim Ajij of Gujarat, who died from injuries sustained in the strike. The source, nature and intent of the aerial object have not been disclosed by any government or maritime authority, and no group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Vessel Struck While Transiting Omani Waters
The Al Jusufi, described by Indian officials as a mechanised sailing vessel carrying 14 Indian seafarers, was hit while sailing near the Omani coast on Monday, November 2. Minister Sonowal said the vessel was struck by an unidentified aerial object, without specifying whether it was a drone, missile fragment or other projectile.
Thirteen crew members evacuated safely and were picked up by the Omani Coast Guard, while Ajij succumbed to his injuries. Authorities have not released details on the extent of damage to the vessel or confirmed its current operational status following the strike.
New Delhi Coordinates Repatriation and Assistance
India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Indian Embassy in Oman are coordinating with Omani authorities to assist the 13 survivors, according to Sonowal’s statement. The minister offered condolences to Ajij’s family and said efforts were underway to facilitate the early repatriation of both the surviving crew and the deceased seafarer’s remains.
No further operational details, including the vessel’s cargo, route or ownership structure beyond its Indian flag, have been made public by Indian officials. The incident is being treated by New Delhi as a seafarer-safety matter pending clarification from Omani maritime authorities on the origin of the aerial object.
Incident Adds to Regional Maritime Tension
The attack occurs against a backdrop of severely disrupted shipping in the wider Gulf region. The Strait of Hormuz has remained effectively closed to commercial traffic in recent days, with IMF PortWatch recording only two transits on October 25 against a pre-crisis baseline of 85 per day. Oman sits adjacent to this chokepoint, through which a large share of the world’s seaborne crude and LNG normally passes.
Attacks on merchant vessels and mariners involving unidentified aerial objects or munitions have become more frequent across Gulf waters amid heightened Iran-related tensions. While no authority has formally attributed the Al Jusufi incident to any party, its occurrence so close to the Hormuz approaches underscores the risks now facing even small coastal and short-sea vessels, not just large tankers and container ships transiting the strait itself.
Why it matters
The fatal strike on the Al Jusufi illustrates how maritime violence in the Gulf has widened beyond major tanker and container routes to smaller coastal vessels and their crews. With the Strait of Hormuz already operating at a fraction of normal transit volumes, any additional attack near Oman raises further questions about the safety of seafarers and the reliability of regional shipping lanes. For India, which supplies a large share of the world’s merchant mariners, the incident renews concerns over crew protection in an increasingly volatile Gulf of Oman corridor.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
