Tanker hit by projectile near Strait of Hormuz was operating in ‘dark mode’

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Photos of the ship from September 13 indicate that the engine room was attacked and damaged by the projectile. The two were reportedly on watch in the engine room at the time of the incident. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

MT El Gaia, the tanker which was hit by a projectile over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz, was reportedly operating in “dark mode,” with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off, and its coordinates were not available at the time of reporting. Its last port of call was Sohar, Oman.

The tanker had 25 crew members on board: 14 Indian and 11 Pakistani nationals.

Two crew members remain unaccounted for: Muhammad Hammad Obaida, Third Engineer, a Pakistani national from Karachi who had joined the vessel on September 7, 2026; and Sumit Kumar Singh, Oiler, an Indian national from Vaishali who had joined on June 25, 2026.

Photos of the ship from September 13 indicate that the engine room was attacked and damaged by the projectile. The two were reportedly on watch in the engine room at the time of the incident.

Sumit Kumar Singh had signed on to the ship in June when the ship had called on Dahej, Gujarat.

The 20-year-old ship, which has a cargo-carrying capacity of 48,000 tonnes, is owned and managed by Dubai, UAE-based companies. Five recruitment agencies supplied the crew onboard the vessel, according to official sources.

The Omani Coast Guard boarded the vessel following the attack. The remaining 23 crew members were transferred to an Omani Coast Guard vessel and brought ashore. While the Master and Chief Engineer were Pakistani nationals, the Chief Officer, Second Engineer and others were Indians.

The Indian Government has not attributed any responsibility for the attack. Iran’s IRGC Navy has said the tanker struck naval mines while using what it calls an illegal route south of the strait. The United States has disputed this, saying the vessel was struck by a missile and later a drone.

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