A 33-year-old seafarer from Kandivali lost his life after a missile reportedly struck the product tanker MT MKD Vyom in the Strait of Hormuz on March 1, amid escalating attacks on merchant vessels in the region. The deceased has been identified as Dixit Amritlal Solanki, who was working as an oiler on board the vessel.
According to a report by Mid-day, Solanki had joined the tanker on December 10, 2025, and had been serving on board for nearly 80 days at the time of the incident. The vessel had departed from Europe on February 8 and was sailing towards Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia when it reportedly came under attack in the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz.
Solanki was initially reported missing after the explosion caused by the missile strike and is now believed to have died in the blast. Efforts are currently underway to recover his body.
The remaining 21 crew members on board were rescued unharmed by another tanker, MT SAND, and are currently in Muscat, Oman, completing legal formalities before returning to the port of origin.
Meanwhile, two crew members from the Palau-flagged tanker Skylight are reported missing, while another seafarer reportedly died in Basra, Iraq, following a missile strike. Additionally, four Indian seafarers are awaiting repatriation from Bandar Abbas in Iran, Mid-day reported.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of merchant shipping in the region amid the ongoing conflict involving the US, Iran, and Israel. The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran to the north and Oman and the UAE to the south, remains one of the world's most critical maritime routes for global oil and cargo transportation.
