Two Indian seamen went missing after jumping into the Black Sea when their Palau-flagged cargo ship, MV AGN Ragnar, was attacked by three drones on Saturday evening while exiting the Bystre Mouth of the Danube River, according to the Directorate of Maritime Administration.
The missing crew members, Chandra Ram Dubey and Deepak Kumar Gupta, remain untraced. The remaining seven crew members, including two other Indian nationals, along with the pilot, were safely evacuated ashore by the Ukrainian Coast Guard.
Search and rescue operations were launched but had to be suspended because of the continuing drone threat. The operations will resume once the security situation permits, the Directorate of Maritime Administration said.
Also Read: Vessel with 4 Indians struck at Ukraine's Odesa port, second such attack in a week
Similar incidents before
The latest attack follows two similar incidents in the Black Sea since mid-July that claimed the lives of five Indian seafarers.
{{/usCountry}}The latest attack follows two similar incidents in the Black Sea since mid-July that claimed the lives of five Indian seafarers.
{{/usCountry}}On July 18, MV Omorfi, a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo vessel, was struck by two drones at about 2am local time while transiting the Black Sea. The vessel had 10 crew members, including three Indian nationals. Chief Officer Sagar Gupta, an Indian national, was killed, while the other two Indian crew members were reported safe.
A day later, MV Golden Leo, a cargo vessel with mostly Indian and Syrian crew members, was hit by three Russian missiles in the Black Sea, killing 10 people. At the time of the attack, the vessel had 17 crew members and a Ukrainian pilot on board. The crew comprised five Indian nationals and 12 Syrian nationals.
The bodies of two Indian seafarers – Chief Officer Akhil Jovan and Ordinary Seaman Abhishek Nishad – have been identified. The remaining eight recovered bodies were severely burnt and are yet to be identified through the prescribed process, according to the Directorate of Maritime Administration.
The four Indian seafarers on MV Golden Leo had been engaged by Navi Mumbai-based Gurukripa Marine Services Private Limited. Pratigya Tripathi of Gurukripa Marine Services said DNA tests have been conducted to establish the identities of the remaining victims.
Also Read: Iran warns 'freeloader' Zelensky after attack on its vessel: 'This strike cannot go unanswered'
India's appeal to seafarers
Hours after the attack on MV AGN Ragnar, the Centre on Sunday urged Indian seafarers operating on merchant vessels in or transiting the Black Sea to take additional precautions, including ensuring adequate insurance coverage and emergency preparedness.
An advisory issued by the ministry of external affairs said the security situation in and around the Black Sea and adjoining maritime areas remains “highly volatile” because of the ongoing conflict.
“Commercial vessels operating in or transiting these waters are facing significant security risks, including missile and drone attacks,” the advisory said. There has been an increase in such attacks on commercial vessels since April, resulting in the death of five Indians.
Four Indian seafarers were on MV AGN Ragnar, a Palau-flagged cargo vessel, when it was “struck at the port of Odesa” on Saturday, the Indian embassy in Kyiv said on social media. “As per the latest information, two have been confirmed safe, and information is awaited regarding the other two nationals,” the embassy said.
Search and rescue operations were underway and the embassy is closely monitoring the situation.
The advisory said that Indian nationals intending to work on commercial vessels operating in or transiting the conflict-affected Black Sea region should “carefully assess the prevailing security risks before accepting such assignments”.
Seafarers choosing to work in the region should exercise “utmost caution” and take other precautions, including obtaining comprehensive information from employers, recruitment agencies and ship operators regarding the vessel’s route, ports of call, security arrangements, insurance coverage, and emergency response procedures, the advisory said.
Last week, the Directorate of Maritime Administration issued an advisory to Indian shipowners and Recruitment and Placement Services Licence (RPSL) agencies to avoid deploying Indian seafarers on vessels operating in the Black Sea and Yemen waters.
The circular on the Black Sea cited a sharp rise in missile and drone attacks on merchant vessels since April 2026.