India condemns tanker attack off Oman as search continues for missing seafarer

India has strongly condemned an attack on a Panama-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Oman that left one Indian seafarer missing and forced the rescue of 13 others.

The vessel, the MT El Gaia, was targeted early on Sunday. It was carrying a crew of 14 Indian nationals. While 13 have been brought to safety, search and rescue operations are still underway for the final crew member, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said.

New Delhi has not said who was behind the strike or what kind of weapon was used, but the ministry described the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure as "unacceptable".

What happened to the MT El Gaia?

The commercial tanker was transiting off the coast of Oman when it was targeted early on Sunday morning. Following the strike, Omani authorities launched an emergency response. Thirteen of the crew members were successfully pulled from the vessel, but one sailor remains unaccounted for.

"Our embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Sunday, thanking Oman for its swift assistance.

Why is shipping in the region under threat?

The incident comes amid a sharp escalation of violence in the region's highly sensitive waterways. Hours after the MT El Gaia was targeted, another commercial vessel was struck by a projectile while transiting the nearby Strait of Hormuz.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), that separate attack caused a fire and forced the crew to evacuate. Iranian state media reported that an Iranian cargo vessel was hit near Qeshm Island in the strait, leaving one person dead and four others injured. Local officials in Qeshm blamed a "terrorist enemy" for the strike.

The tension has also spilled onto land. In Saudi Arabia, drone strikes recently targeted the country’s 1,200-kilometre east-west oil pipeline, which allows oil exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for those attacks, which damaged civilian homes and a mosque in Jazan province.

What happens next?

The spike in maritime violence has put pressure on India, which provides a massive portion of the global seafaring workforce. Indian nationals make up about 12 percent of merchant sailors worldwide, with more than 310,000 currently active.

Just a day before the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed setting up a "Seafarers' Emergency Support Network" at the BRICS summit to protect crews caught in regional conflicts.

The geopolitical fallout is expected to dominate a planned meeting between Iranian officials and Gulf Arab states in Oman. The talks were scheduled to discuss shipping safety through the Strait of Hormuz, though Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian warned over the weekend that Tehran would only allow the waterway to reopen if the United States lifted its blockade.

For now, the immediate focus for Indian diplomats remains finding the missing sailor. The Ministry of External Affairs called for an immediate de-escalation of regional tensions, urging a return to diplomacy to ensure "free and safe navigation" through the vital trade routes.