Indian Cargo Ship ‘Haji Ali’ Sunk After Suspected Drone Strike Near Oman

An Indian cargo ship named Haji Ali sank in the Strait of Hormuz after a suspected drone attack near the Omani coast in the early hours of Wednesday. The vessel, travelling from Berbera in Somalia to Sharjah, caught fire following a powerful explosion near Limah on Oman’s northern coast. All 14 crew members escaped using lifeboats before the ship went under.

The vessel was passing near Limah at around 3:30 AM when an explosive object reportedly struck it, triggering a fire that forced the crew to abandon ship before it eventually sank. All 14 were safely rescued by the Oman Coast Guard and taken to Dibba Port.

The cargo vessel, officially identified as MSV Haji Ali BDI 1492, belongs to Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka district and was registered at Salaya port.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs called the incident “unacceptable and deplorable,” with MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying India deplores the repeated targeting of civilian vessels and innocent mariners operating in international waters.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, attending the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, declined to comment on the incident but stated that the Strait of Hormuz remains open for commercial vessels that cooperate with the Iranian navy.

This is the second Indian-linked ship to sink near the Strait of Hormuz within a week. Earlier, another Gujarat-based vessel, Al Faiz Noor Sulemani-1, sank after getting caught in crossfire between Iran and the United States on May 8, while travelling from Dubai to Mukalla in Yemen. The back-to-back incidents have raised serious concerns for India’s shipping industry, particularly for Gujarat-based cargo operators working Gulf trade routes.