On the last phone call with his father on Sunday, Indian seafarer Aditya Sharma confided in him about “warnings” from United States forces and the tense situation aboard his Palau-flagged merchant tanker, MT Settebello, as the ship navigated waters off the coast of Oman, amid a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.
“We spoke almost every day. On a WhatsApp call on Sunday, he told me that they received at least two warnings from the US Navy in the past fortnight, and that the ship was still trying to push towards the Strait of Hormuz. We were worried. Another ship, in their vicinity, was attacked on the same day, but he assured us that all the crew aboard that ship were safely rescued,” Rajesh Sharma, Aditya’s father, told The Indian Express.
Aditya, 23, was among the three Indian seafarers who were killed after an attack by American forces on MT Settebello off the coast of Oman on June 9 amid the ongoing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. Of the 24 Indian seafarers aboard the vessel, 21 were rescued, while three, previously unaccounted for, were eventually declared dead.
“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on X. “This is a profound loss to our maritime family. The Modi government stands firmly with the bereaved during this difficult hour and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin. I have directed officials to ensure immediate repatriation of the rescued crew members and swift return of the mortal remains of the deceased for their final rites.”
Apart from Aditya, the two others who died in the attack are Suresh Patnala, chief engineer, and Shivanand Chaurasiya, fitter.
The US military has said it attacked the tanker after it attempted to “violate” a blockade imposed by US forces outside the Strait of Hormuz, off the Oman coast.
Aditya’s family hails from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, and he had been working on the commercial ship as a deck cadet since November last year. His father said the family had been frantically watching the news after it was reported that their son had gone missing.
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After completing his schooling in Jalandhar, Punjab, Aditya studied Nautical Science at a private university in Chennai. He also completed an advanced diploma in Nautical Science from Glasgow, Scotland, before joining the ship on his first deployment.
“When he joined in November (2025), there was no war. He told us the ship had earlier done the China-Singapore route and was now headed to Oman. He was planning to sign off from Oman in May, but later decided to stay on for another two months,” his father said.
The family learnt of his death after the company operating the Palau-flagged vessel informed them Thursday morning. “We are told that the concerned embassy has informed the (Indian) government. We do not know if his body has been found. We are waiting for more information,” Rajesh said.
The family now wants the government to intervene and help bring back the body. “I want to know what happened in his last moments. What were the circumstances, what efforts were made to rescue him… whether he got any help? Usne kitna fight kiya hoga survival ke liye (He must have fought to survive). People on board were among the first to be rescued,” Sharma said.
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“Two more sailors who died were also like my children. I just cannot understand why so many lives were put in danger… when there were repeated warnings. Who will take responsibility for our loss?” he asked.
‘He loved his work’
In her last conversation with her husband, Suresh Patnala, Bhargavi Suresh told him, “Please be careful.” He replied, “I am careful.” This was on June 9. Two days later, Bhargavi woke up to the news that Patnala had gone missing off the coast of Oman.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Bhargavi, 39, said, “I have two young children who are 10 and 13. Who will now look after them? I am a homemaker. I can’t go to work. How will I bring them up?”
In their last conversation, Patnala had spoken about the “growing tension” in the region. “He was aware that there had been other attacks which had killed people around him. He was hopeful that he would come back,” Bhargavi said.
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Bhargavi said there were times when she wanted her husband to leave everything behind and return home. “But he stayed on the job because he wanted a good life for us. Now all our dreams are shattered,” she said.
The family said no one had informed them when his body would be brought home. “We are waiting for instructions from the company and the Union government,” Bhargavi said.
She said her husband had been a marine engineer for 15 years. “It was his passion. I can only take comfort in the fact that he was doing the job he loved.”
Patnala graduated from the the Visakha Institute of Engineering and Technology before studying marine engineering. He was due to return to Mumbai and then travel to Visakhapatnam to celebrate his 15th wedding anniversary on June 24. “He had been at sea for over five months and was looking forward to coming home. He had got approval for furlough. He was supposed to come home to his family,” Bhargavi said.
‘Promised to return soon’
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Ramji Chaurasia (70) and his family were overjoyed when his elder son, 37-year-old Shivanand Chaurasiya, called them up in November last year saying he had secured a welding job aboard an oil tanker.
Shivanand had been working at a welding shop in Pune at the time. Before leaving for Mumbai to join the vessel as Engine Petty Officer (Fitter), he visited his village, Sirauli in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
On December 5, he left for Singapore on the MT Settebello. Over the past month, however, the family had been worried due to the Iran-US-Israel war.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Ramji said, “It had been over six months since we last saw our son. He had called his wife, Sushila, two days ago and spoke to her and the children – six-year-old son Samar and two-year-old daughter Vamika. He told us he would return soon. We were worried because people were talking about the war and how many ships were stranded there.”
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“It was my younger son, Ram Pravesh, who landed a welding job in Dubai three months ago with Shivanand’s help, who first got information about his brother going missing after the attack,” said Ramji. “He called us around 8 am today and informed us about the incident. Shivanand’s death was confirmed later.”
“We were very happy and hopeful that our financial troubles would finally ease after Shivanand secured a better-paying job on the ship. He had also helped his younger brother find work in Dubai… Now all our hopes have been shattered,” he said.
