Representative image. NASA/Tim Kopra, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
India is one of the largest suppliers of sailors to merchant shipping, with more than 3,20,000 active seafarers in 2025. Six ships with Indian crew have been hit near Oman and the Strait of Hormuz since 11 October, by NewsPlainly's count. On the latest, the Al Jusufi, an Indian crew member was killed, and the government is now arranging the return of his body along with 13 survivors.
An Indian seafarer was killed and 13 other Indian crew members were rescued after an Oman ship attack on the evening of 2 November 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on 3 November. The vessel, MSV Al Jusufi, was hit near Limah on the coast of Oman with 14 Indian nationals on board, and the ministry said the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region “must end”.
Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the vessel was struck by what he called an “unidentified aerial object”. Neither he nor the MEA said who launched it.
What the MEA statement says about the Oman ship attack
The MEA statement, issued in New Delhi on 3 November, is two short paragraphs. The first gives the facts. The ministry condemned the attack on the commercial vessel near Limah “yesterday evening”, said 13 of the 14 Indian nationals on board had been rescued and that one had died after being injured. It offered condolences and said the Indian Embassy in Oman was coordinating with Omani authorities to bring home the rescued crew and the body of the man who died.
The second paragraph is about the wider conflict. The ministry called the continuing attacks on commercial shipping in the region “deeply concerning” and repeated India’s call for immediate de-escalation and for ongoing negotiations to end in a diplomatic solution. It then said that free and unimpeded navigation through the region’s international waterways, in line with international law, “must be restored at the earliest”.
The statement does not name the region’s warring sides, the type of weapon, the cargo, the ship’s flag or its owner.
What Sonowal said about the Al Jusufi crew
Sonowal, who heads the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, gave more detail in a post on X on 3 November. He described the Al Jusufi as an Indian vessel carrying 14 Indian seafarers and said it was hit on 2 November while sailing near the Omani coast.
Thirteen crew members got off the vessel and were picked up by the Omani Coast Guard, he said. The fourteenth, whom he named as Gandhar Nahim Ajij from Gujarat, died of his injuries. The MEA statement did not name him.
Sonowal said his ministry and the embassy were in touch with local authorities to help the 13 survivors and to arrange the repatriation of the surviving crew and the seafarer’s mortal remains. Neither statement gave a date for their return.
The Indian Express described the Al Jusufi as Indian-flagged and placed the attack in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman. The MEA’s own wording is “near Limah, Oman”, and this article uses that.
Six attacks on ships with Indian crew since 11 October
The Al Jusufi is the latest of several ships with Indian crew hit near Oman and the Strait of Hormuz since 11 October. Reuters has described the fighting as the US-Iran war, which it says began in February 2026. MT and M/T stand for motor tanker. The timeline below lists the incidents NewsPlainly could confirm from reports it read in full, with the number of Indians on board as given by the Indian government.
| Date (2026) | Ship | Where | Indian crew | What happened to them |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October | MT Petro Dolphin | Sohar Anchorage, off Oman | 11 | Drone strike; 9 rescued, 2 reported missing at the time |
| 11 October | MT Valthera | Strait of Hormuz region | 11 | Hit by a projectile, fire on board; all safe |
| 16 October | MT ST 3 | Strait of Hormuz | 15 | Hit by a projectile; all safe |
| 21 October | M/T Al Dasma | Strait of Hormuz, west of Bukha, Oman | 21 | Hit by an unknown projectile; all safe |
| 29 October | MT Louise 1 | North-east of Khasab, Oman | 27 | Limpet mines, engine-room fire; all safe |
| 2 November | MSV Al Jusufi | Near Limah, Oman | 14 | Hit by an aerial object; 13 rescued, 1 killed |
By NewsPlainly’s count, these six ships carried 99 Indian crew between them (11 + 11 + 15 + 21 + 27 + 14). This is a count of these incidents only, not a total of every attack in the region this year.
Five of the six were tankers, and most were hit by drones or projectiles. The Louise 1 was different: a small craft came alongside and fixed two limpet mines, explosives that cling to a ship’s hull, The Week reported. Reuters reported it was the first successful use of limpet mines in the war.
The MEA has made these points before. After the 11 October attacks it called recurring strikes on shipping deeply concerning and said attacks on vessels, seafarers and civilian infrastructure must stop, Swarajya reported. Its 3 November statement makes the same points, now after an Indian death.
What is still not known about the Al Jusufi attack
The official statements read for this article leave several questions open:
- Who attacked: Sonowal called it an unidentified aerial object. The MEA statement condemned the attack without naming anyone.
- What the vessel was carrying and where it was going: neither statement said.
- When the crew return: the MEA said repatriation would be “early” but gave no date.
- The condition of the 13 survivors: Sonowal said they were rescued and would get immediate assistance; neither statement said whether any were hurt.
Many Indian families depend on this work. India had more than 3,20,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to a shipping ministry figure cited by The Hindu, which describes India as one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide.
NewsPlainly has covered several of these incidents, including the limpet mine attack on the Louise 1 and the projectile strike on the Al Dasma, where all Indian crew were safe.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to the Al Jusufi near Oman?
The vessel was attacked near Limah, Oman, on the evening of 2 November 2026. Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said it was hit by an unidentified aerial object. One of the 14 Indians on board died and 13 were rescued by the Omani Coast Guard.
What did the MEA say about the Oman ship attack?
In a statement on 3 November, the MEA condemned the attack, called continuing attacks on shipping deeply concerning, asked for immediate de-escalation and said the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end.
Who attacked the ship?
Neither the MEA statement nor Sonowal's post said who launched the attack. Sonowal described the weapon only as an unidentified aerial object.
When will the rescued Indian crew come home?
The MEA said the embassy in Oman is working with Omani authorities for their early repatriation, along with the body of the seafarer who died, but gave no date.