Image source, Gandhar Parivar
On the same day the US attacked Qeshm Island in Iran, a ship carrying dates from Hamriya port near Dubai to Porbandar was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and a sailor from Gujarat died.
Oman's coast guard rescued 13 other sailors trapped in the attack.
This ship named Al Jusufi was from Salaya port in Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gujarat and all its crew members were also from Salaya.
The sailor killed in the attack has been identified as Naeem Aziz Gandhar. Even before this, similar sorrow had befallen the Gandhar family.
Earlier also, another member of the Gandhar family had died at sea while working on a ship. Now, 22-year-old Naeem's death at sea has left his family in shock.
This was the fourth incident of attack on an Indian ship in the Strait of Hormuz since the war broke out following joint air strikes on Iran by the US and Israel on February 28 this year.
Nayeem is the second sailor from Gujarat to die in such an attack.
Ship owners say that despite taking all the precautionary measures recommended by the Indian government, their ships are still under attack.
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The Indian government has condemned the attack on Al Jusufi and said that attacks on commercial ships in international waterways are a matter of concern.
what is the whole incident
The ship named Al Jusufi was owned by Jusab Amad Sumbhania of Salaya. The Sumbhania family has been in the shipping business for many years and Jusab's elder brother Akbarbhai Sumbhania also owns a ship named Al Fatem.
Speaking to BBC on Wednesday, Akbarbhai said that the ship named Al Jusufi had left for Porbandar from Dubai's Hamriya port on October 31.
Akbarbhai further tells the BBC, "On the same day, the ship Al Fateh left Dubai port for Somalia loaded with general cargo including food. Both these ships left together but at that time I did not like the atmosphere in Hormuz, therefore, we instructed Al Jusufi to stop at Khasab port in Oman."
"It stopped at Khasab port for a day. Our second ship continued its journey towards Somalia and passed safely through the Strait of Hormuz."
Image Source: Akbar Sumbhania
Akbarbhai tells BBC, "Then the next day, Al Jusufi also departed from Khasab port and headed towards Porbandar, but when it reached Lima port in Oman, it was attacked by drones."
Khasab Port is a small port located on the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz.
Akbarbhai said, "The attack took place at around 4.45 pm Indian time."
He also said, "When the attack occurred, Al Jusufi's transponder was operational and the Tricolor was flying on board. Therefore, all nearby ships could see her identification information, information about her crew members, cargo, etc."
"I was monitoring it on my phone and everything seemed to be normal till 4.30 pm IST on Monday. But at 4.45 pm I got a call from Salim Abdul Sumbhania, captain of the Al Jusufi, that they had been attacked by a drone and the ship was on fire. He also told me that all the sailors had abandoned the ship and were in the lifeboats."
a ship loaded with dates sank
Image source: Iswa
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"Al Jusufi was leaving the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz when it was attacked from the opposite direction, from the Gulf of Oman. The drone came straight and hit the cabin of our plane," said Akbarbhai, 52.
Akbarbhai further said, "This coast of Oman is far away from Iran and Iranian ships also pass through this area, but US Navy warships are also present near this area and their helicopters also keep flying in this area."
He said, "950 tons or 95 thousand kilograms of dates were loaded on the Al Jusufi ship. But after the attack, the ship caught fire and the entire cargo was destroyed."
Akbarbhai said, "With no other ships nearby or fire-fighting facilities, the fire on the Al Jusufi could not be extinguished and the ship ultimately burnt to the ground and sank into the sea."
Akbarbhai said that on receiving the information, Oman Coast Guard officials reached there within half an hour and rescued the sailors and took them to the nearby shore.
He told that 'Naeem died while being taken to the hospital.'
He further said, "Despite adopting all the precautionary measures advised by the Indian government, people involved in the shipping business in Gujarat are worried as attacks on Indian ships continue."
Akbarbhai said, "I started sailing with my father at the age of 14 and have also worked as a ship captain for 25 years. But I have never seen such an environment in my life."
Father went missing at sea 22 years ago
Naeem's cousin Irfan Gandhar told the BBC, "Naeem worked in the fishing industry. His elder brother Nizam also worked as a sailor on a fishing boat. Nizam and Naeem were unmarried."
Speaking to BBC, Irfan said, "Naeem was the youngest among four sisters and two brothers. Naeem's father Azizbhai died 22 years ago. Naeem left fishing two-three years ago and started working as a sailor on a ship because the salary is higher than fishing."
Akbarbhai said, "Naeem had joined Al Jusufi as a sailor in May this year. This was the first time he had come on our ship. Naeem was steering the ship at the time of the attack on Al Jusufi. He suffered injuries in his left leg and left hand."
Irfan Gandhar says, "When Naeem was a child, his father Azizbhai also died while working on a ship at sea."
He said, "22 years ago, Azizbhai and about seventy other sailors left for Dubai from the Tuna port of Kutch in a ship loaded with sheep and goats. But their ship was lost in a storm, and since then there has been no trace of Azizbhai or the other sailors or the ship."
"Naeem's body is currently being kept at a hospital in Khasab, while efforts are being made to bring the remaining 13 crew members back to India," Akbarbhai said.
After losing her husband and young son, Naeem's mother, Zarina, is in deep shock and cries continuously.
Irfan said, "The mother may never see her young son's face again."
Irfan said, "If we bring the body from Oman, it will take more days. My father Amdabhai and other family members explained to my aunt that the body should not be kept for more days."
"My aunt has agreed to bury Naeem in Oman. Naeem's fellow sailors will return to India after performing his last rites."
How many ships of Gujarat were attacked?
In India there is an organization for owners of traditional boats called the Indian Sailing Vessels Association (SVIA).
Adam Bhaya, General Secretary of this organization, told BBC that currently 270 ships are working in Gujarat and about 450 ships are working in India.
He said Al Jusufi is the fourth Gujarat ship to be attacked in the Strait of Hormuz since May this year.
Adam Bhaya said that earlier on May 8, in the attack on Al Faiz Noor-e-Sulaimani, a 42-year-old sailor named Altaf Kher was killed, while four other sailors were injured.
Then on May 13, a ship named Haji Ali was attacked and sank. His 14 sailors were saved but 1800 sheep and goats aboard the ship died.
After almost six months of peace, on October 29, a ship named Cuba from Mandvi port in Kutch was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
This year, one or two Indian ships have also been attacked in the Red Sea.
According to a report by Indian Express, a total of 14 Indian sailors have been killed in attacks on various ships and boats after the war broke out between America, Israel and Iran.
Speaking to BBC, Adam Bhaya said, "The ships coming from Gujarat are strictly following the safety guidelines issued by the Indian government. As per these guidelines, the ships coming from Gujarat pass through the Strait of Hormuz only during the day time and keep their transponders on."
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
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