Indian Sailor Dies As Iran Dron Hits Oman's Oil Tanker

An unmanned drone has hit the oil tanker MKD VYOM off the coast of Oman, killing one Indian crew member and sparking a fire, while 21 personnel were moved to safety, officials said, as tensions linked to the Israel-Iran conflict keep spilling into regional shipping lanes.

Authorities reported that the blast damaged the tanker’s main engine room and forced a full evacuation. MKD VYOM was sailing under the flag of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and was transporting around 59,463 metric tonnes of cargo when the attack happened northwest of Oman’s capital region.

Oil tanker attack off Oman: location, ship details and casualties

The Sultanate of Oman's Maritime Security Centre stated that the incident took place about 52 nautical miles northwest of Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat Governorate on Saturday, 1 March. The unmanned surface vessel rammed the tanker, causing an explosion and fire that led to the death of one Indian national working on board.

There were 21 crew members on MKD VYOM at the time of the strike, including 16 Indians, four Bangladeshis and one Ukrainian. All surviving personnel were evacuated from the damaged tanker by the merchant vessel MV SAND, which operates under the flag of Panama, in coordination with Oman’s Maritime Security Centre.

Oil tanker attack off Oman: response and security situation

The Royal Navy of Oman has dispatched a naval vessel to watch over the damaged MKD VYOM and is issuing navigational alerts to other ships in the area. Maritime authorities have not confirmed who carried out the drone boat strike, and no group has publicly claimed responsibility yet.

Iran has previously warned commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel that links the Arabian Sea to the Persian Gulf and carries vital oil shipments. Regional officials suspect Iran of mounting several maritime attacks as the Middle East war widened after major United States and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets.

Oil tanker attack off Oman: link to earlier strike on Skylight

The hit on MKD VYOM is the second reported attack on a cargo vessel moving through the Strait of Hormuz since the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which has sharply raised instability across the Middle East and increased risks for international shipping and crews, including many Indian seafarers.

Earlier, the Palau-flagged oil tanker Skylight was struck near Oman's Musandam peninsula. The ship had 20 crew members, including 15 Indian nationals. Four people sustained injuries in that incident, and the entire crew was later taken off the vessel, according to Omani maritime authorities.

Oman's Maritime Security Centre said in a post on X that the Skylight strike occurred about five nautical miles north of Musandam's Khasab Port, after which all 20 crew members were evacuated. The agency did not reveal what type of weapon was used in that earlier attack, adding to uncertainty for ships sailing through the area.

As investigations continue into the MKD VYOM incident, shipping operators and seafarers remain on alert around the Strait of Hormuz, with Indian crew members again caught in the middle of a wider confrontation involving Iran, Israel and the United States, while Omani forces maintain patrols and navigational warnings to limit further casualties.