Anshu last spoke to her husband on the night of February 28. Their five-year-old son was starting at a new school the next morning, and Captain Ashish Kumar had asked her to call him after the admission – let him know how it went.

She called. He didn’t pick up. She messaged. It was delivered, but there was no reply. By that evening, his phone was switched off.

Captain Ashish Kumar, 37, from Bettiah in Bihar, is now among three Indians feared dead after drone attacks on merchant vessels off the Oman coast – the latest casualties in a conflict that has turned one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into a war zone.

At least 36 Indian-flagged ships, including several belonging to the government-run Shipping Corporation of India, are stranded near the Persian Gulf, suggest reports. Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz – a narrow chokepoint handling a fifth of the world’s crude supply – following American and Israeli strikes, leaving hundreds of Indian merchant navy sailors trapped in waters that grow more dangerous each day.

The Indian National Shipowners’ Association has requested government intervention. The National Union of Seafarers of India has called on shipping companies and global maritime authorities to reroute vessels away from conflict. Shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal had chaired a meeting on Tuesday to assess the situation. The Directorate General of Shipping issued a press brief detailing measures for vessels operating in the region.

Those feared dead include Ashish Kumar; a crew member named Dalip, also aboard MV Skylight when it was struck by a drone on March 1; and 25-year-old Dixit Solanki after an explosive-laden drone boat hit an oil tanker off Muscat.

The Skylight attack

MV Skylight was anchored five nautical miles from an Oman port since February 22. When Ashish Kumar’s phone went unanswered through the night of March 1, his family searched online and found reports of a drone strike at Khasab Port – but early accounts said all 20 crew had been safely evacuated. That relief didn’t last.

The Indian Embassy in Oman confirmed by email on March 3 that 10 Indians had been aboard when the vessel was struck and caught fire. Eight were rescued by Omani authorities. Two – Captain Ashish Kumar and crew member Dalip – had been in the engine room and had not been found. A subsequent email on March 4 reported that the Omani Coast Guard had found a skull and bones in burned condition in the captain’s room, adding that as nobody enters the Captain’s room, the remains “most likely” belong to Captain Ashish Kumar.

But Ashish Kumar’s family is demanding forensic and DNA testing before accepting this conclusion. “Until forensic tests prove that the remains are his, how can we believe he's dead?” his wife Anshu told Newslaundry. “We’re still assuming he’s missing. We request the government to send a good team to uncover the truth.”

Ashish Kumar had been in the merchant navy for 16 years. He joined the Skylight shipping company in January and began his posting on January 28. He is survived by his wife, a five-year-old son, two younger brothers, and one sister. The family will not perform last rites until DNA tests confirm the remains are his.

On the water

Newslaundry spoke with an Indian merchant navy captain commanding a Saudi-flagged vessel anchored at Ruwais, roughly 135 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz. He requested anonymity. His ship has been stationary since February 28. The cargo was bound for Durban.

His immediate crew of 25 — five of them Indian — are stable for now. Food, water, and supplies are adequate. But he is watching the horizon, literally and figuratively. “Overall the situation is kind of ok, but beyond missiles, alerts and communication, there is another fear of supplies. If this situation continues, ships which do not have food, water or bunkers — God knows how they will survive. Maybe a few ports and facilities will accept them in emergency situations, as it was during Covid.”

The captain, who is a resident of Mumbai, said the vessel was awaiting the owners’ instructions. “Our cargo was scheduled to be loaded from Ruwais port near Abu Dhabi and was supposed to be discharged in Durban. But the situation escalated, the Strait of Hormuz was closed, and now we are waiting at anchorage for further directions. We have no clarity about what is happening at the diplomatic level, and frankly, that is not our domain. As captain, my role is to follow the owners’ orders regarding loading and discharge. The safety of the crew and the vessel is the top priority. But that ultimately depends on the standards of the company you are sailing with. From what I know, my company will not risk our lives for trade unless it is absolutely safe.”

The picture he paints is of a region under sustained and widening attack. 

Advisories from the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) – part of UK Maritime Trade Operations, originally set up to counter piracy – document a steady drumbeat of incidents since February 28, when the first alert warned of ongoing military operations across the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz. Over the next five days, the alerts multiplied. On March 1, a vessel near Mina Saqr, UAE, was struck by an unidentified projectile and caught fire. The same day, another ship near Sharjah reported a projectile detonating in close proximity. On March 2, an explosion and flooding were reported 60 nautical miles north of Muscat. By March 4, incidents had spread to Fujairah anchorage, the Strait of Hormuz itself, and the Arabian Sea. On March 5, a tanker near Kuwait was hit on its port side; a small craft was seen leaving the area, and oil was spotted on the surface.

“We received an alert that three motor vessels and three tankers had been blasted,” the captain said. “Although information related to crew nationality, cargo owner – nothing was shared.”

The captain says the passage through Hormuz is now effectively off-limits. “One thing we know for sure right now, the Strait of Hormuz transit is not safe. IRGC will target merchant ships trying to pass Hormuz regardless of nationality….we have to wait until we are allowed to pass safely through Hormuz. But until when? No one knows. Every day, we receive an email from our company’s security department, which is in touch with the Saudi Navy. They advise us to hold our position as the situation remains tense, and assure us that as soon as the Strait of Hormuz opens for Saudi vessels, we will be escorted safely out of the Gulf.”

Communication has also become a problem. VSAT systems relying on GPS antennas have been disrupted. The company provides Starlink and paid VSAT connections, but these are reserved for emergencies. 

“It may sound simple, but living without communication or reliable WiFi in a tense situation at sea is not easy. On vessels where connectivity is neither free nor adequately provided by the company, the crew must be feeling deeply uncomfortable and stranded.”

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