Tanker hit by projectile near Strait of Hormuz was operating in ‘dark mode’

MT El Gaia, the tanker which was hit by a projectile over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz, was reportedly operating in “dark mode,” with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off, and its coordinates were not available at the time of reporting. Its last port of call was Sohar, Oman.

The tanker had 25 crew members on board: 14 Indian and 11 Pakistani nationals.

Two crew members remain unaccounted for: Muhammad Hammad Obaida, Third Engineer, a Pakistani national from Karachi who had joined the vessel on September 7, 2026; and Sumit Kumar Singh, Oiler, an Indian national from Vaishali who had joined on June 25, 2026.

Photos of the ship from September 13 indicate that the engine room was attacked and damaged by the projectile. The two were reportedly on watch in the engine room at the time of the incident.