El Gaia tanker hit in Strait of Hormuz operated in ‘dark mode’
A view of El Gaia, which was hit off the coast of Oman. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
MT El Gaia, the tanker that was hit by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, was said to be 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 in Oman.
There were 25 crew members on board the tanker: 14 Indian and 11 Pakistani nationals.
Smoke billows after hitting El Gaia. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Two crew members remain missing: Muhammad Hammad Obaida, third engineer, a Pakistani national from Karachi who joined the ship on 7 September 2026; and Sumit Kumar Singh, Oiler, an Indian national from Vaishali, who joined on 25 June 2026.
Photographs of the ship from September 13 indicate that the engine room was hit and damaged by a missile. Both were reportedly on patrol in the engine room at the time of the incident.
Sumit Kumar Singh reported to the ship in June when the ship called at Dahej in Gujarat.
The 20-year-old ship, which has a cargo capacity of 48,000 tons, is owned and managed by companies based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to official sources, five recruitment agencies provided the crew on board the vessel.
A helicopter used to rescue sailors on El Gaia. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The Omani Coast Guard boarded the ship after 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 claimed any responsibility for the attack. Iran’s navy, the IRGC, said the tanker struck naval mines while using what it called an illegal route south of the strait. The United States disputed this, saying the vessel was hit by a missile and later a drone.
Published – 16 Sep 2026 0:33 IST