Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
An Indian seafarer has been killed after the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier Cape Dao was attacked and abandoned near the Strait of Hormuz, adding to a mounting casualty toll as the United States and Iran reopen diplomatic contacts at the United Nations.
The Cape Dao was targeted about 2.5 nautical miles from Oman’s Musandam Governorate on Wednesday, according to Oman’s Maritime Security Center. The attack sparked a fire in the engine room, and a Royal Navy of Oman vessel evacuated 27 surviving crew members and provided medical care.
One crew member was killed.
UK Maritime Trade Operations had earlier reported that the cargo vessel was struck by an unknown projectile at around 0630 UTC while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. UKMTO said the vessel was on fire and adrift and initially reported two casualties.
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India identified the seafarer killed as Suraj Yadav, 26, a wiper from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh.
The union said the Cape Dao, IMO 9219020, was sailing from Mina Saqr in the United Arab Emirates toward India with 28 crew members aboard, including 20 Indians. It said the vessel was struck twice on its port side, with one projectile hitting the C-deck accommodation area and another hitting the hull near the engine room.
India’s embassy in Oman confirmed the death of an Indian national and said it was coordinating with Omani authorities over the safety of 19 Indian crew members. The figures appear consistent with the union’s count of 20 Indians aboard when Yadav is included.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one Indian national in this attack,” the embassy said. “Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.”
The Forward Seamen’s Union also sent a letter Wednesday to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for greater protection of Indian crews sailing through conflict zones.
“He was a civilian seafarer, not a combatant,” the union said of Yadav. “He was killed on a merchant ship sailing to India. That death is not justified.”
The union called for Yadav’s repatriation and compensation for his family, a 24-hour crisis management team involving the Indian government and maritime unions, and naval support for Indian crews aboard both Indian- and foreign-flagged vessels operating around Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and Black Sea.
“Assurances have not stopped the killing,” the union said.
The attack comes as President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders are in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where the two countries have reopened indirect diplomatic contacts for the first time in months.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner exchanged messages through Qatari mediators this week, according to Reuters. The contacts marked the first known indirect U.S.-Iran talks since an interim ceasefire collapsed in July, although a senior Iranian official said Wednesday that the two sides remain far apart.
Trump used his UN address Tuesday to say he remained open to an agreement while also threatening further military action if negotiations fail. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded Wednesday that Iran would not “bow to pressure.”
The Cape Dao attack underscores the security challenge facing merchant shipping even as those negotiations resume.
Two other vessels were attacked in the Strait on September 21. The crude tanker LR Stephanie was struck by an unidentified projectile, injuring two seafarers, while the LPG carrier Al Maryah was hit by debris from unidentified projectiles while sailing outbound. Both vessels were able to continue their voyages.
The International Maritime Organization’s latest incident tracker lists 83 confirmed incidents and 23 seafarer deaths in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez last week appealed directly to governments to stop targeting merchant shipping as the human toll continued to rise.
“We are reaching a point where these conflicts are being used as a pretext to attack merchant vessels and innocent seafarers,” Dominguez said. “Do not use these conflicts to attack innocent seafarers.”
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