22 Indian Crew Members Rescued from Oil Tanker off UAE Coast: Indian Consulate

Twenty-two Indian crew members aboard crude oil tanker MT Gem No. 2 were rescued following an incident off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, the Consulate General of India in Dubai said on Sunday.

In a statement posted on X, the Consulate confirmed that all crew members had been rescued and were safe. It added that it was coordinating with UAE authorities and providing assistance to the Indian seafarers.

“The Consulate has learnt of an incident involving vessel MT GEM No. 2 off Ras Al Khaimah coast, that had 22 Indian crew members on board. All crew members have been rescued and are safe,” the Consulate said.

The statement came amid reports of maritime incidents in and around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued two reports on Sunday concerning incidents involving tankers. One report described an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman, while another concerned an incident in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to UKMTO, the master of an outbound tanker reported that an unknown projectile struck the vessel on its port side, triggering a fire onboard. The crew were reported safe, while the extent of the damage and the potential environmental impact remained unknown at the time of the report.

Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claimed that a “violating” supertanker attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an unauthorised route suffered a major explosion after striking naval mines.

In a statement published by the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the Iranian force said on Saturday that the vessel was carrying crude oil with its navigation and GPS systems switched off when the blast caused a fire.

The IRGC Navy described the route as high-risk and warned that oil tankers attempting to disregard Iranian regulations could face similar consequences, according to Xinhua news agency.

Earlier, on Friday, the IRGC Navy had claimed that its forces struck a large liquefied petroleum gas carrier, identified as NV Sunshine, as it attempted to cross the strait through an allegedly illegal route south of the waterway. The force said the vessel’s engine room and propulsion system caught fire.

The circumstances of the incident involving MT Gem No. 2 were not detailed in the Consulate’s statement.