Indian crew safe after drone strikes oil tanker MT GEM NO. 2 off Sharjah

What happened at Sharjah Anchorage?

A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker carrying 22 Indian crew members was hit by a drone attack off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on 9 October, but all seafarers on board escaped without injury.

Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the incident involving the vessel, the MT GEM NO. 2, in a statement on Saturday. The attack took place while the ship was positioned at Sharjah Anchorage in the Arabian Gulf.

Sonowal said Indian authorities were monitoring the situation closely and were in direct communication with the vessel's management company to ensure the ongoing security and well-being of the crew. He did not say who launched the drone or state the extent of any physical damage to the tanker.

Who is involved and who is responsible?

The vessel is registered under the flag of Panama, but its entire 22-person crew consists of Indian nationals.

Officials have not named any suspect or group responsible for the strike. Sharjah Anchorage sits in waters near Dubai, an area through which a substantial volume of international oil traffic passes daily.

The strike comes amid broader regional concerns over commercial vessel safety across the Gulf and the Black Sea, where merchant ships have increasingly faced targeted strikes and collateral risk.

What is India doing about maritime safety?

The incident follows recent steps taken by New Delhi to raise maritime security on the global diplomatic agenda.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India recently co-chaired the launch of a new international coalition, the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, alongside Liberia. The group held its inaugural meeting in New York with representatives from 25 countries.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Liberian Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti co-chaired the session, issuing a joint declaration calling for an immediate halt to attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf region and the Black Sea.

India is one of the world's largest suppliers of merchant seafarers, while Liberia operates the world's largest ship registry by tonnage. In their joint statement, both nations condemned attacks on peaceful trade as indefensible, pressing international partners to put the physical safety of crews at the centre of global maritime policy.