Tragedy has struck the international maritime community following a devastating military strike in the Middle East. Out of the three Indian seafarers who had gone missing after a US missile attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman on Wednesday (10th June), two have died, as confirmed by the general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), Manoj Yadav. Meanwhile, the third seafarer remains missing.

The identities of the three men caught in the crossfire of this geopolitical conflict have been made public. The three missing seafarers were identified as Deck Cadet Aditya Sharma, Engine Fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya, and Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh. Aditya Sharma and Shivanand Chaurasiya have been confirmed dead, while Patnala Suresh is still missing.

The human toll of this strike is felt deeply by the families left behind, who had been desperately searching for answers as news of the attack broke. Deck Cadet Aditya Sharma’s father, Rajesh Sharma, had posted a comment on journalist Aditya Raj Kaul’s post informing about the US attack on the vessel on X on Wednesday. In the comment, Rajesh Sharma said that Aditya Sharma, who is one of the three Indian seafarers who have gone missing after the US strike, is his son. He sought help in locating his son. Sharma also said that his son had reported exploitation by a senior on the ship and that he wanted to quit the ship in April this year.

The incident stems from an escalating military enforcement campaign in the region's highly contested waters. The US military had carried out a precision attack on Settebello in the Gulf of Oman, claiming that the vessel did not follow its instructions and was carrying oil from Iran. The US has put a blockade on all Iran-related shipping since 13th April after Iran blocked the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

This fatal strike has triggered a sharp diplomatic confrontation between New Delhi and Washington, with Indian officials demanding accountability for the loss of civilian lives. India strongly condemned the attack and summoned the US Charge d’Affaires, Jason Meeks, to hand over a demarche over the strike. A statement was issued by the Ministry of External Affairs the same day, which stated that out of the 24 Indian nationals on board the vessel, 21 were rescued.

In its reaction, New Delhi said the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in West Asia must end, and free and unimpeded navigation through the international waterways should be restored at the earliest.

The timeline of recent military actions shows a rapidly escalating pattern of force by Western naval powers against ships accused of breaching the embargo. The attack on commercial vessel Settebello came two days after a Palao-flagged vessel with 24 Indians came under attack of the US Navy as the ship tried to evade the US blockade of Iranian ports.

The official diplomatic response from India's foreign ministry emphasized the immediate breakdown of the crew's status following the missile strike. "We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today. Of the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far and three Indians are reportedly missing," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Beyond the formal text of the demarche, Indian diplomatic representatives made it clear that the safety of their citizens working in global supply chains cannot be compromised by foreign military operations. Officials also conveyed to the US side that attacks endangering Indian seafarers are unacceptable and raised concerns over the safety of Indian nationals serving aboard commercial vessels operating in the region.

As the families of the victims mourn, the physical search for the final remaining crew member remains active in the waters near the incident site. The Indian Embassy in Oman has been closely coordinating with Omani authorities for the ongoing search and rescue operation.

This crisis marks the second time in less than a week that Indian maritime workers have been placed in extreme danger due to enforcement actions linked to the regional blockade. This is the second US attack following a similar strike on another Palau-flagged tanker, MT Marivex, on which 24 Indian crew members were present. All the Indian crew members were successfully rescued by the Omani forces with no casualties.

The volatile security environment created by broader regional hostilities continues to threaten the lives of thousands of merchant mariners passing through these vital trade choke points. The repeated attacks on vessels amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war have raised serious questions about the safety of Indian seafarers operating in the Gulf of Oman region.