Drone attack on vessel Al Jusufi in Strait of Hormuz, Gujarati sailor killed

A vessel carrying dates from Dubai's Hamriya port to Porbandar was targeted in a drone attack in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack triggered a massive fire on board, resulting in the death of a sailor from Gujarat. According to a BBC Gujarati report, the deceased sailor has been identified as 22-year-old Naeem Aziz Gandhar. Other 13 sailors were safely rescued by the Oman Coast Guard.

The targeted vessel, 'Al Jusufi', belonged to Salaya port in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district. All crew members on board were residents of Salaya. This incident is particularly tragic for Naeem Gandhar's family, as another family member had also died at sea years ago while working on a ship.

The vessel is owned by Jusub Amad Sumbhaniya, whose family has been engaged in the shipping business for years. Jusub's elder brother, Akbarbhai Sumbhaniya, also owns a vessel named 'Al Fatem'. Akbarbhai told the BBC that Al Jusufi had departed from Dubai's Hamriya port for Porbandar on October 31. On the same day, the vessel Al Fatem had also departed for Somalia, Africa, carrying food items and general cargo.

Akbarbhai further stated that when both vessels departed, the atmosphere in Hormuz did not seem favorable. Consequently, he had instructed Al Jusufi to stop at Oman's Khasab port, where it remained for one day. Meanwhile, Al Fatem continued its journey and passed safely through the Strait of Hormuz. The following day, Al Jusufi left Khasab port and proceeded towards Porbandar, but was attacked by a drone upon reaching near Oman's Lima port.

According to Indian Standard Time, the attack occurred around 4:45 pm. As per Akbarbhai, the vessel's transponder was active and the Indian national flag was flying at the time of the attack. Due to this, all surrounding vessels could see the identity of the ship, the crew members, and the cargo information. Akbarbhai was tracking the vessel via phone and everything was normal until 4:30 pm, but at 4:45 pm, Captain Salim Abdul Sumbhaniya called to report that a drone attack had caused a fire on board and all sailors had boarded lifeboats.

The attack was launched directly from the Gulf of Oman while the vessel was exiting the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. The drone struck the vessel's cabin directly. Akbarbhai noted that this area is far from Iran and sees frequent movement of Iranian vessels as well as US Navy warships and helicopters. Al Jusufi was carrying 950 tonnes (95 thousand kg) of dates, which were destroyed in the fire. Due to the absence of other vessels or firefighting facilities nearby, the fire could not be extinguished, and the vessel eventually sank.

This incident occurred on Monday, the same day the US attacked Iran's Keshm Island. This is the fourth incident of attacks on Indian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz following the war triggered by joint air strikes by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28. Naeem Gandhar is the second sailor from Gujarat to lose his life in such an attack. Criticising the attack, the Indian government stated that attacks on commercial ships on international waterways are a matter of concern. Vessel owners have complained that their ships are being attacked despite taking all precautionary measures advised by the Indian government.