‘They Killed the GPS and Went in Dark’: Father of Indian Sailor Killed in US Strike Claims Company Illegally Ran Blockade Without Crew’s Consent

The father of Aditya Sharma, the young Indian deck cadet killed when a US Navy missile struck the MT Settebello, has leveled explosive allegations against the ship’s command. 

Speaking to Republic in exclusive conversation, Sharma claimed that the captain deliberately turned off the ship's tracking systems and sailed into a highly volatile war zone completely illegally, without ever getting the consent of the crew.

While the Indian government has officially confirmed the deaths of the three missing seafarers and launched a diplomatic protest with the US, the narrative coming from the victims' families points to severe corporate negligence.

According to Aditya's father, Rajesh Sharma, the ship's management was playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek in the Strait of Hormuz. To evade the ongoing US blockade on Iranian ports, the captain allegedly disabled the Automatic Identification System (AIS) , effectively turning off the ship's GPS and navigation location to hide from naval forces.

"They turned off the GPS. The location was off," Rajesh said, calling the move entirely illegal. "On whose consent did that captain or shipping company take this decision to sail towards the Strait of Hormuz? Why did he put the lives of 24 crew members in danger?"

The family feels completely betrayed by the shipping line. Aditya had called his dad on Sunday after another commercial ship nearby was blown up by a missile. At the time, the company had assured the crew they were taking the ship to Oman because it was safe. Instead, they steered the vessel directly into the crosshairs of a high-risk double blockade between Iran and the US. 

An hour after Aditya sent a routine "good evening" text on Monday, US forces fired precision munitions directly into the tanker's engine room because the vessel repeatedly refused to comply with directions.

The illegal navigation maneuver was just the final chapter in what Rajesh describes as a living hell for his son. Back in April, Aditya had filed a formal complaint and tried to quit the ship due to severe exploitation and harassment by senior crew members. Instead of letting him leave, the ship's leadership allegedly coerced the young cadet into withdrawing his complaint. They then retaliated by forcing him into a grueling schedule, making him work exhausting 20-hour shifts every single day.

Adding to the family's rage is the complete lack of accountability and communication. The shipping company has gone completely silent, providing the family with nothing more than a generic notification that the vessel was hit and Aditya was missing. Every piece of news since, including the location and identification of his body, has had to be scraped from TV broadcasts and online reports.

With India's Shipping Ministry now coordinating the repatriation of the bodies, Rajesh Sharma is demanding that the investigation look far beyond the US missile strike. He is urging the Ministry of External Affairs and national authorities to launch a full inquiry into the shipping company's illegal navigation decisions, their failure to execute a proper rescue operation, and the systemic abuse that trapped his son on board a doomed vessel.

Read More: 3rd Vessel With Indian Crew Comes Under Attack Off Oman Coast Near Strait Of Hormuz; 20 Seafarers Likely On MT Jalveer