All 22 Indian crew safe after tanker attack near Sharjah

Panama-flagged crude-oil tanker MT GEM NO. 2 was attacked at Sharjah Anchorage on October 9, and all 22 Indian crew members were reported safe, India’s shipping minister said. Sarbananda Sonowal said authorities were monitoring the situation and were in contact with the ship management company to support the crew’s security and well-being. The account of the attack and the crew’s status came from his statement; the reports provided no independent account of the incident. The vessel was anchored at Sharjah Anchorage in the Arabian Gulf, off the United Arab Emirates. Reports described the attack as involving a drone, but did not identify who was responsible or specify what was used. They also did not provide details about any damage to the tanker. Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Federation of Seafarers Unions of India, called for a high-level crisis-management team under the prime minister. Speaking after the attack, he said a coordinated body involving the defence establishment, the Navy and the shipping industry could assess threats to Indian seafarers in conflict-affected maritime regions. Yadav cited risks to crews in the Black Sea and Strait of Hormuz.