Heramb Karmarkar was 30 years old. He was a marine engineer from Pune and the third engineer aboard the Cyprus-flagged container ship MV GFS Galaxy. On the morning of Sunday, 12 July 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran attacked the vessel as it transited the Strait of Hormuz approximately 17 kilometres east of the Omani coast.
Twenty-three of the 24 crew members abandoned the vessel and were rescued by the Royal Navy of Oman. Karmarkar could not be accounted for.
On Tuesday evening, 60 hours after he was first reported missing, the Forward Seamen’s Union of India received a call from the shipping company confirming that the Omani coast guard had recovered his body.
“I got a call Tuesday evening from the company the ship belonged to informing me that Heramb Karmarkar’s body has been found by the Omani coast guard,” Manoj Yadav of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India told Agence France-Presse. “This was almost 60 hours after we first received news that he was missing.”
The Indian Mission in Dubai, under whose consular jurisdiction the case was being coordinated, posted on X: “We express our deepest condolences at the tragic demise of an Indian national due to an attack on the commercial vessel MV GFS Galaxy on 12 July 2026. The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family and is closely coordinating with the relevant UAE authorities and the shipping company to provide all possible support and assistance to the family.”
What happened to the GFS Galaxy
The MV GFS Galaxy is a Cyprus-registered container ship, 304 metres in length, operated by GFS Ship Management based in Dubai. It departed the port of Jebel Ali in the UAE on 9 July 2026 and was transiting the Strait of Hormuz when it came under attack in the early hours of Sunday, 12 July.
The vessel carried 24 crew members in total, of whom 11 were Indian nationals. The remaining crew were from other nationalities. The ship was struck by a projectile that caused a significant fire in the engine room and rendered the vessel unable to continue under its own power. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed the crew abandoned the vessel and boarded a lifeboat. Twenty-three crew members were subsequently rescued by the Royal Navy of Oman. Karmarkar was the sole fatality.
The vessel was taken under tow toward the UAE port of Khor Fakkan, the nearest safe anchorage. Khor Fakkan is a natural deep-sea port in the Sharjah emirate on the Gulf of Oman.
The US Central Command attributed the attack to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and described it as one of a series of IRGC attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM stated that the attack triggered the third round of US air strikes against Iran that week. “Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed,” CENTCOM said in a statement. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Iran had “made a poor choice.”
Iran’s position, stated through official channels, was that GFS Galaxy had been transiting the Strait of Hormuz on an unauthorised route and that the strike constituted a warning shot. Iran subsequently announced that the Strait was again closed to commercial vessels and warned of a severe response to any retaliatory action.
What is the Strait of Hormuz?
What is the Strait of Hormuz?
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and the Oman Peninsula that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. It is the world’s most important oil chokepoint. Approximately 20% of the world’s oil supply and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas transit the strait daily. Tanker traffic had averaged 33 vessels per day before the current escalation.By mid-July 2026, that figure had dropped to 13 vessels per day as ships either followed Iran-controlled routes or switched off their transponders to avoid detection. Iran has periodically threatened to close the strait during periods of US-Iran tension, as it has the geographic and naval capacity to severely disrupt traffic through the waterway.
India’s response to missing of Heramb Karmarkar
The Ministry of External Affairs issued two separate statements on the incident. An immediate statement on 12 July confirmed the attack and the status of the crew: “We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman, earlier today. Of the 11 Indian nationals on board, 10 have been rescued so far, while one Indian national is reportedly missing. Our Embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing search and rescue operation. We thank the Omani authorities for their support.”
A second MEA statement on 13 July condemned the attack and spoke to the broader maritime security concern: “The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted. India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided.”
India also thanked Oman for its role in the rescue and coordination of the search and rescue operation. The Indian Embassy in Muscat and the Indian Mission in Dubai both confirmed active coordination with Omani and UAE authorities.
EAM S. Jaishankar, who was in New York at the time for the India UNSC campaign launch and meetings with UN Secretary-General Guterres, discussed the West Asia situation in his meeting with Guterres on 14 July.
What the attack means for Indian seafarers
India is one of the world’s largest suppliers of maritime crew. Hundreds of thousands of Indian seafarers are employed on commercial vessels globally at any one time. A significant proportion of those vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea as part of regular commercial routes.
The attack on GFS Galaxy is not an isolated incident. Multiple commercial vessels have been targeted in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters since the escalation of US-Iran tensions in mid-2026. The broader pattern of attacks has forced shipping companies to reassess routes, driving up insurance costs and causing significant disruption to global supply chains.
For Indian seafarers and their families in India and across the diaspora, Karmarkar’s death is a reminder of the danger that India’s maritime workforce faces in the current regional security environment. The Forward Seamen’s Union of India’s involvement in confirming his death to the media reflects the role that maritime unions play in the absence of faster institutional response in such situations.
Karmarkar, described by his family as a dedicated marine engineer, was 30 years old. No further personal details have been released by his family or the shipping company as of the date of publication.
The wider Hormuz crisis
Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has more than halved since the current escalation. Ships are choosing between Iran-controlled routing through the northern corridor, which requires prior approval from Tehran, and the southern corridor through Omani waters, which offers freer navigation. The GFS Galaxy was transiting via the Omani-adjacent route when it was struck.
Diplomatic efforts to manage the crisis have included meetings between Iranian and Omani officials in Muscat, focused on proposals for separate shipping corridors. As of 15 July 2026, no formal agreement on a new transit framework had been announced.
The disruption to Hormuz shipping is directly relevant to India’s energy situation. Nearly half of India’s total crude oil imports transit through the Strait. The combination of shipping disruption and rising oil prices, driven by Hormuz tension and increased demand, is adding pressure to India’s current account deficit, forming part of the backdrop to the RBI’s aggressive campaign to attract NRI deposits under the FCNR special window.
What Indian seafarers and their families need to know
Was the attack on GFS Galaxy attributed to Iran officially?
Yes. The US Central Command attributed the attack to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran. Iran acknowledged striking the vessel, describing it as a warning shot against a vessel transiting an unauthorised route.
What is the status of the other 10 Indian crew members rescued from GFS Galaxy?
The Indian Mission in Dubai and the MEA confirmed all 10 surviving Indian crew members were rescued by the Royal Navy of Oman on 12 July. No further casualty reports involving those crew members have been issued. The shipping company is coordinating their welfare.
Is the Strait of Hormuz safe for Indian commercial vessels right now?
The Strait of Hormuz is currently operating under significantly heightened security risk. Tanker traffic has dropped from 33 vessels per day to approximately 13. Ships are either following Iran-controlled routing or avoiding the strait entirely. Indian seafarers employed on vessels transiting the region should check with their employers and unions regarding current routing advisories and insurance provisions.
What support is available to Indian seafarers’ families in distress situations?
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India and the National Union of Seafarers of India are the primary trade union bodies representing Indian maritime crew. The Indian Embassy in Muscat and the Indian Mission in Dubai are the relevant consular points of contact for incidents in the Gulf of Oman and UAE respectively. The Director General of Shipping in India is the regulatory authority with oversight over Indian seafarers’ welfare.
Has India taken any diplomatic action against Iran over the attack?
India condemned the attack through the MEA. India has not announced any specific diplomatic action against Iran. New Delhi’s position is to call for de-escalation and the protection of commercial shipping, while maintaining its longstanding policy of strategic autonomy in the US-Iran confrontation.
