Dharamshala, June 12 -- For Rajesh Sharma, a Hamirpur-based businessman, the anxiety of having his son at sea was always countered by the promise of the young man's bright future. His only child, Aditya Sharma, 23, dreamt of a life on the ocean that saw him pursue a degree in nautical science in Scotland and he joined the merchant navy on November 24, 2025.

Aditya was six months into a challenging 15-month training period as a deck cadet when his journey was cut tragically short on Wednesday. He was one of 24 Indian crew members on board the Palau-flagged oil tanker, MT Settebello, when it was targeted by a US military strike near the Strait of Hormuz. While 21 of his fellow countrymen were safely rescued by responding Omani forces, the ...