Deonandan Prasad Singh (54), an Additional Chief Engineer from Kandivali East, Mumbai, was killed on 11 March 2026 when the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MT Safesea Vishnu came under a devastating “suicide boat” attack near Khor Al Zubair Port, close to Basra, Iraq.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) confirmed that the vessel, carrying approximately 48,000 metric tonnes of naphtha, was struck by an unidentified object during ship-to-ship cargo loading operations. A white unmanned speedboat, suspected to be laden with explosives, approached the vessel from the starboard side and rammed into it, triggering a massive explosion and fire, following which all crew members abandoned ship and jumped into the sea.
The Iraqi Coast Guard subsequently rescued 27 crew members, comprising 15 Indian and 12 Filipino nationals and transported them safely to Basra port. Singh, the sole fatality, sustained critical injuries in the blast and died while receiving treatment. His family’s account, however, adds a deeply troubling dimension to this tragedy: relatives allege that the shipping company compelled him to return to active sailing just three days before the conflict began, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on 28 February, sending a shore-based engineer into one of the world’s most volatile waterways without adequate warning or consent.
A Veteran Engineer, A Grieving Family And Unanswered Questions
Originally from Ranibimiya village in Kahalgaon block of Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, Singh had relocated to Kandivali East, Mumbai, in 2019 with his wife Kumkum and their two children, a son employed with a private company in Japan and a daughter preparing for medical entrance examinations. After his death, Kumkum has relocated to Delhi with her daughter to live with her parents.
A highly respected engineer with a career spanning decades, Singh had worked with some of the industry’s top firms, including the Shipping Corporation of India and Bernhard Schulte Ship Management, among others such as Neom Maritime, United Ocean Ship Management and Samson Maritime. His family says that despite nearly 25 years at sea, Singh had been working ashore for over seven years before being pushed back onto a vessel.
A family member was quoted as saying: “Despite having stopped sailing and having taken a shore desk job, he was sent to die. The company forced him to join the ship as per the contract clause he had signed and he joined the ship in Iraq three days before the war began.” His brother-in-law, Dr Chandan Kumar, said the family was in “deep shock” and awaiting official communication from the Ministry of External Affairs. The shipping company managing the vessel expressed condolences over Singh’s death and said it would extend full support to his family, also confirming that the remaining crew members were safe and receiving assistance.
A Maritime Shadow War With Civilian Victims
The attack on the MT Safesea Vishnu is being described as part of a broader Iranian strategy to cripple oil exports from Iraq following US-led strikes on Tehran, and it contributed to the total halt of operations at Iraqi oil terminals. According to officials, the vessel was targeted during a coordinated underwater drone strike on ships in the region amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
The Indian Embassy in Baghdad is currently coordinating with Iraqi authorities to facilitate the repatriation of Singh’s remains and ensure the safe return of other Indian nationals. In its official statement, the DGS acknowledged that the incident “highlights evolving security challenges” in the Persian Gulf region.
The scale of India’s maritime exposure in the conflict zone is significant: according to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, there are currently 28 Indian merchant vessels in the Persian Gulf, manned by 778 Indian seafarers, with an estimated 23,000 Indian sailors stranded in the Gulf region altogether. Indian nationals make up more than 15 per cent of the world’s seafaring workforce, making them one of the largest groups employed in international shipping and, as industry observers note, among the most vulnerable when geopolitical conflict spills into commercial shipping lanes.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Deonandan Prasad Singh was not a soldier. He was an engineer, a father, a husband, a professional who had long stepped back from sea duty and was building a quieter life with his family in Kandivali. Yet, if his family’s account is to be believed, a contractual clause and a corporate directive were enough to override seven years of shore duty and send him, against the spirit of his wishes, into a war zone that claimed his life just days after he boarded. This is not merely a story about geopolitical conflict. It is a story about the invisible labour force that keeps global supply chains afloat, men and women who sail in anonymity, bound by agreements that too often prioritise cargo over conscience.
India must urgently press for a comprehensive review of how seafarers are deployed in active conflict zones, with mandatory risk disclosures, the right to refuse dangerous postings without penalty and swift governmental intervention when commercial interests collide with human safety. Singh’s death must not become a footnote in a wider war; it must become the turning point that compels our maritime industry and government to treat every seafarer not as an expendable contractual unit, but as a citizen deserving of protection and dignity.
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कंदिवली पूर्व निवासी देवनंदन प्रसाद सिंह, जो मार्शल द्वीप समूह के ध्वज वाले तेल टैंकर एमटी सेफसी विष्णु पर अतिरिक्त मुख्य अभियंता (अधीक्षक) के पद पर कार्यरत थे, का बुधवार (11 मार्च) को इराक के बसरा के पास खोर अल जुबैर बंदरगाह के निकट हुए हमले में निधन हो गया। बिहार के मूल निवासी… pic.twitter.com/ABVPZIAbnQ
— Jai Bharat 🇮🇳 (@jaijagannath081) March 13, 2026
