One Indian seafarer dead, travel documents of survivors ready: MEA

In the same vessel, captain Ashish Kumar from Bihar was killed and another crew member, Dalip Singh from Rajasthan, went missing.

The Indian Express had earlier reported that since the incident, the eight Indian seafarers have been stranded in Oman after the fire that engulfed the vessel destroyed their passports, visas and other identity documents, leaving them unable to travel home.

For the last 12 days, the survivors have been staying in a guest room at Khasab Airport, waiting for emergency travel documents, known as outpasses, so that they can leave the country.

One of the crew members told The Indian Express the blaze after the missile strike destroyed almost everything onboard. He said that among the eight of them, only three mobile phones remain, with most of their personal belongings and documents lost in the fire.

Jaiswal also referred to another vessel, MKD Vyom, which had come under attack earlier. “The other ship which came under attack was MKD Vyom… there we lost one Indian national and 16 of them who survived returned back home,” he said. When The Indian Express reached out to enquire about the remains of Dixit Solanki who died on the ship, Jaiswal did not respond.

On March 12, the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), Mumbai, had confirmed the death of one more Indian seafarer onboard the oil tanker MT SAFESEA VISHNU near Basra, Iraq, on March 11, 2026.

Officials at the DG Shipping office said the incident occurred during ship-to-ship (STS) cargo loading operations off Khor Al Zubair Port.

In a press statement, DG Shipping said, “At approximately 2100 hrs UTC on 11 March 2026, the tanker MT SAFESEA VISHNU (Flag: Marshall Islands; IMO No. 9327009), which was carrying around 48,000 metric tonnes of naphtha, was struck by an unidentified object. Preliminary reports indicate that a white-coloured unmanned speedboat carrying explosives approached the vessel from the starboard side and rammed into it, resulting in a major fire onboard.”
Following the incident, all crew members abandoned the vessel and entered the water to ensure their safety.

“They were subsequently rescued by an STS tug operating in the vicinity. The Iraqi Coast Guard evacuated all 28 crew members, including 16 Indian nationals and 12 Filipino nationals, and transported them safely towards the Port of Basra. Firefighting tugs remain deployed at the site and are working to contain the blaze,” the statement said.
All rescued seafarers are reported to be safe and are currently located on a small island near Basra. The Embassy of India in Baghdad is in close coordination with Iraqi authorities to ensure the welfare of the Indian nationals involved and to facilitate necessary assistance, DG officials said.

“So far we have lost three Indian nationals and the fourth Indian national is missing. All these four nationals were part of a crew on board merchant ships flying in the area. Our embassies and consulates in Dubai are working with local authorities to have their mortal remains transported back to India at the earliest,” Jaiswal said.
He added that India strongly condemned attacks on merchant ships.

Jaiswal also said that more than two dozen Indian nationals have been injured in the conflict so far. Several of them have recovered after hospital treatment and returned to India, while a few continue to remain hospitalised, with one or two in serious condition.