English
English
English
All 22 Indian crew members aboard crude oil tanker MT Gem No. 2 were rescued following an incident off Ras Al Khaimah, the Indian Consulate in Dubai confirmed, as separate maritime security alerts emerged from the Gulf region. (Images: X)
Dubai: All 22 Indian crew members aboard the crude oil tanker MT Gem No. 2 have been rescued following an incident off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Consulate General of India in Dubai said on Sunday. The consulate confirmed that all the sailors were safe and said it was coordinating with UAE authorities to provide assistance and support to the rescued Indian seafarers. In a statement posted on X, the consulate said it had received information about the incident involving the vessel, which was carrying 22 Indian crew members. It did not provide further details about the cause of the incident or the extent of damage to the tanker.
The rescue comes amid heightened maritime security concerns in the Gulf region, with separate reports of incidents involving commercial vessels in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
The Indian diplomatic mission in Dubai said it was monitoring the situation and maintaining contact with the relevant UAE authorities. The confirmation that all 22 crew members had been rescued and were safe provided relief amid concerns over the incident involving MT Gem No. 2. However, details about the circumstances of the accident, the condition of the vessel and the potential environmental impact were not immediately available in the statement. The consulate said it was extending all possible assistance to the Indian seafarers.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued two reports on Sunday concerning separate maritime incidents involving tankers in the region. One report concerned an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman. Another described an incident in the Strait of Hormuz, where the master of an outbound tanker reported that the vessel had been struck on its port side by an unidentified projectile.
According to the UKMTO report, the impact triggered a fire aboard the vessel. The crew were reported safe, while the extent of the damage and any environmental consequences remained unknown at the time of reporting. The available information did not establish a connection between these reported incidents and the MT Gem No. 2 rescue off Ras Al Khaimah.
Separately, the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that a supertanker attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an unauthorised route had suffered a major explosion after striking naval mines.
In a statement published by its official media outlet, Sepah News, the IRGC said the vessel was carrying crude oil and had its navigation and GPS systems switched off when the explosion occurred on Saturday. The tanker subsequently caught fire, according to the Iranian force. The IRGC described the route as high-risk and warned vessels against disregarding Iranian regulations. These claims were attributed to the Iranian military and were separate from the Indian crew rescue reported by the consulate.
The Iranian force had also claimed on Friday that its naval units struck a large Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) carrier identified as NV Sunshine while it was attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through a route the IRGC described as illegal. According to the IRGC, the incident caused a fire in the vessel's engine room and propulsion system. Independent confirmation of the Iranian force's claims was not included in the available information.
The incidents have drawn attention to the security risks facing commercial shipping in and around the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international waterway for energy transportation. Reports of fires, unidentified projectiles and alleged mine strikes underscore the potential dangers to vessels, crews and maritime infrastructure in the region.
For India, the rescue of the 22 sailors aboard MT Gem No. 2 highlights the importance of monitoring the safety of Indian seafarers operating on international shipping routes. Authorities are continuing to coordinate on the rescued crew, while further verified information is awaited about the circumstances of the tanker incident off Ras Al Khaimah.
