Indian seafarer killed after oil tanker attacked near Basra in Iraq
An Indian seafarer was killed after a crude oil tanker came under attack in waters near Basra in Iraq amid the West Asia war that began after the US-Israel joint attack on Iran. The vessel, identified as MT SafeSea Vishnu, was reportedly struck by an explosive-laden unmanned speedboat while operating in the region. Fifteen other Indian crew members on board were rescued and are safe, officials said on Thursday. According to the Directorate General of Shipping in Mumbai, the incident occurred at around 2100 hours UTC on March 11, 2026. The tanker MT SafeSea Vishnu, sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, was carrying about 48,000 metric tonnes of naphtha at the time. Preliminary reports suggest that a white unmanned speedboat carrying explosives approached the tanker from the starboard side and rammed into it, causing a major fire on board. The ship was conducting ship-to-ship cargo loading operations off the Khor Al Zubair Port near Basra when the attack took place, an official statement said. Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai, says that at approximately …
