Patna: A family in Bihar is anxiously awaiting news after a missile strike on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman left a merchant navy captain from Bettiah missing. The vessel, Skylight, was hit on March 1 near the Khasab coast as tensions escalated in the Middle East following joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The tanker had been anchored for bunkering operations when it was targeted. While 17 of the 20 crew members were rescued, three Indians remain unaccounted for, including Captain Ashish Kumar, who was commanding the ship. His family in West Champaran district say they have contacted the Indian embassy in Oman but have yet to receive clear information about his whereabouts.
Ashish, who joined the merchant navy earlier this year, had taken charge of the Oman-bound vessel on February 22, according to his younger brother, Akash Kumar. “We first heard about the attack on social media,” Akash said. “After speaking to the embassy, we were told that my brother was on the same ship that was struck. Since then, we have been waiting for updates.”
The family described the past few days as agonising. Ashish is the eldest of three brothers. His father, Ashok Kumar, is a lawyer, while his mother, Sunita Devi, is a homemaker. His wife, Anshu Kumari, and their five-year-old son, Daksh, are struggling to cope with the uncertainty. “We just want him back safely,” a relative said.
Dr Sanjay Jaiswal, the Bettiah MP from the Bharatiya Janata Party, said he has been in contact with officials in Oman and India’s minister of state for external affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh. He said the tanker remains on fire, preventing immediate access for rescue teams. The government, he added, is monitoring the situation closely and embassies are working to ensure the safety of Indian nationals abroad.
The incident comes as the Iran conflict enters its fourth day, sending shockwaves across the region. The strike in the Gulf of Oman has heightened concerns about maritime security and the safety of Indian seafarers working in volatile waters. Rising oil prices and disruptions to air travel have underscored the broader global impact of the crisis.
