Kanpur: For Merchant Navy chief engineer Nitin Shukla, the evening of Oct 9 turned into a fight for survival when a drone attack destroyed the Panama-flagged oil tanker MT Gem Number-2 in the Strait of Hormuz region. Amid the chaos and panic that gripped the vessel, the resident of Shyam Nagar, Kanpur, put the safety of his crew before his own, ensuring that all 21 crew members were evacuated safely before he boarded the lifeboat himself.Recounting the harrowing ordeal after returning to his Kanpur home on Saturday, Shukla recalled the tense moments following the attack. As the tanker came under threat, he helped the crew escape to safety, holding on to his composure amid the unfolding crisis. Only after ensuring that all 21 crew members were aboard the lifeboat did he make his own escape.The destruction of the tanker also resulted in the loss of his passport and other important documents, complicating his return to India. He had to complete the necessary formalities and arrange replacement documents before he could return home.Shukla has been serving in the Merchant Navy for the past 20 years. He had travelled to the United Arab Emirates in June to load oil and was serving as the tanker’s chief engineer when the attack took place.His wife, Ankita, received a call from the company’s Chandigarh office around midnight on Oct 10, informing her about the drone attack. Although the family was told that Nitin and his 21 colleagues were safe, uncertainty persisted until Ankita spoke to her husband directly.A primary school teacher, Ankita spent the anxious hours caring for their six-year-old daughter, Shanvi, and two-year-old son, Vardaan. The family sought assistance from Kanpur MP Ramesh Awasthi to arrange replacement documents and complete the formalities for Shukla’s return. He eventually made it back to India and reunited with his family.His father, Rajesh, was overcome with emotion on seeing him return home safely. He described his son’s homecoming during Navratri as a blessing from Goddess Durga.
