First Indian casualty in West Asia conflict: Mariner on board oil tanker killed in projectile attack

NEW DELHI: India on Monday suffered its first casualty in the ongoing conflict in West Asia as oil tanker MKD Vyom, which was hit with a projectile on Sunday in the Gulf of Oman, led to the death of an Indian national on board the ship.

“The embassy of India expresses its deepest condolences on the tragic demise of an Indian national on board MKD Vyom. The Embassy is in close coordination with the local authorities in Oman to facilitate the safe and early repatriation of our nationals on board the vessel,” the embassy of India in Oman posted on X. “We remain committed to extending all possible assistance in this matter,” it added.

According to Oman's official news agency, MKD VYOM, flagged to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, was attacked by an unmanned surface vessel, 52 nautical miles off the Oman coast. The tanker's 21-member crew, comprising 16 Indians, four Bangladeshis and a Ukrainian, was evacuated via the Panamanian-flagged commercial vessel MV SAND, Oman said.

The Oman ministry, however, did not disclose the name of the victim. “The vessel was carrying an estimated 59,463 metric tonnes of cargo. The attack triggered a fire and explosion within the main engine room, resulting in the fatality of one crew member of Indian nationality,” it added.

A day earlier, another oil tanker, MV Skylight, carrying 15 Indian and five Iranian crew members, came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack on Skylight injured four crew members.

The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply. Any disruption to this chokepoint immediately rattles global energy markets. There are estimates that already 150 tankers dropped anchor outside the Strait of Hormuz. Around 50% of India's monthly oil and almost all of its LPG imports pass through this vital shipping route.

The US Energy Information Administration has said that “very few alternative options” exist to move oil out of the strait if it is closed. Ship tracking data from S&P Global Commodities at Sea confirmed no tanker passed through the narrow strait on March 1 as shipowners reassess their risk exposure and reroute vessels following reports of a blockade.

In 2024, oil flow through the strait averaged 20 million barrels per day or the equivalent of about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption, it said.


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