Families of Bir Bahadur Yadav (26) of Deoria and Amit Singh (20) of Kushinagar, missing after a drone attack on MT Petro Dolphin near Oman
LUCKNOW: Families of two Uttar Pradesh seafarers, Bir Bahadur Yadav (26) of Deoria and Amit Singh (20) of Kushinagar, who went missing after a drone attack on the Nicaragua-flagged commercial tanker MT Petro Dolphin near Oman’s Sohar port on October 11, have demanded accountability from the ship’s captain. He was frightened by the deteriorating security situation and had spoken about leaving the vessel before completing his nine-month contract,” said Mantu, who had been working in the UAE for the past 14 years and had returned home on leave. Recalling their last conversation on October 10, Mantu said Bir Bahadur had expressed concern about attacks on ships in the region.
Had the emergency generator been functional, firefighting equipment could have been operated and efforts made to locate the missing sailors,” he said. Meanwhile, Bir Bahadur’s elder brother, Mantu Yadav, said the family learnt about the incident through the recruitment agent. They alleged that he ordered the evacuation without adequately searching for the missing crew members. Ravindra has approached the Directorate General of Shipping (Government of India), seeking immediate intervention, coordination with Omani authorities and a detailed account of the rescue operation. “My brother had joined the ship about five months ago on his first assignment. He was serving as a ‘trainee engine rating’ on the vessel. The family had been planning his marriage after his return.
After safely evacuating 10 crew members (including one Bangladesh national), the rescued crew requested the fishermen to return to the vessel, hoping the two missing crew members might still be nearby awaiting rescue.
Bir Bahadur and Amit were working near the same section of the vessel when the attack occurred, according to information Mantu received from another crew member. “Immediately after the attack, the crew called for assistance, and nearby fishing boats arrived to rescue them, according to the captain’s statement conveyed in the communication. Their whereabouts remain uncertain. Accordingly, the fishing boat circled the vessel twice while calling out to them; however, no response was received. Fearing a possible explosion, the fishermen then returned towards shore (sic).”