The UAE National Guard said on Saturday, October 10, that the country’s Coast Guard had rescued 22 crew members from an oil tanker that caught fire in Gulf waters. All those rescued are Asian nationals and are in stable condition.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the rescue operation began after the tanker’s crew reported the fire. Specialist Coast Guard teams responded immediately, located the vessel and rescued all 22 crew members. They were given first aid before being handed over to the relevant authorities. The UAE National Guard did not disclose the tanker’s name, the cause of the fire or when the operation took place.

A day before the statement was issued, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that an unidentified projectile had struck a vessel in UAE waters. It said the resulting fire had been brought under control. Two shipping and security sources told Reuters that the vessel was the Panama-flagged crude oil supertanker GEM NO.2.

British maritime risk management company Vanguard said the tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile at around 10am GMT on Friday, October 9, after which it sent a distress message reporting a fire. Reuters said vessel-tracking data showed the fully laden tanker was anchored off the UAE coast.

India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said on X that GEM NO.2 was targeted in a drone attack at the Sharjah anchorage on Friday, October 9. He confirmed that all 22 Indian crew members were safe, adding that the Indian government was monitoring the situation and was in contact with the vessel’s management company to ensure the seafarers’ safety. UAE authorities, however, have not yet confirmed whether the National Guard’s reported rescue operation involved the same tanker.

Maritime security sources told Reuters that the attack outside the Strait of Hormuz indicated a widening threat to commercial shipping in the region. Two days earlier, the chemical tanker Acers was struck by several projectiles north of Qatar, injuring several crew members.

Attacks on tankers have increased as Iran has warned that it will block shipping routes not approved by Tehran. Reuters reported on October 8, citing informed sources, that the risk of attacks and threats against tankers in the Strait of Hormuz had risen. In a separate report published on October 7, the news agency said that, according to three maritime security sources, at least 12 attacks on tankers were recorded in and around the Strait of Hormuz between September 28 and October 5, the highest weekly figure since the war with Iran began on February 28. The International Maritime Organization recorded nine incidents during the same period.