A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker came under drone attack at Sharjah Anchorage on October 9, 2026 — and every one of the 22 Indian seafarers aboard walked away safe. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the incident and the crew's safety in an urgent post on X late on Friday night, marking one of the first official Indian government responses to what appears to be a maritime security incident in the UAE's coastal waters.

MT GEM NO. 2 struck at Sharjah Anchorage

The vessel targeted was MT GEM NO. 2, a Panama-flagged crude oil tanker anchored in the waters off Sharjah. The attack was carried out by a drone — a method of maritime aggression that has become increasingly prevalent in the broader Gulf region in recent years. The ship was at anchorage, not underway, when it was struck.

All 22 crew members on board are Indian nationals. Minister Sonowal confirmed they are 'completely safe' — a statement that will bring relief to families across India's seafaring communities, which supply a significant share of the global maritime workforce.

New Delhi monitoring, in contact with ship management

Sonowal stated that his ministry is 'continuously monitoring the situation' and has established contact with the ship management company. That direct line to the operator is standard protocol in maritime emergencies: the ship manager coordinates crew welfare, vessel status, and insurer communications on the ground while the flag state and port state authorities handle the regulatory and security dimensions.

The Panama flag means primary flag-state jurisdiction rests with Panama's maritime authority, but India's government has independent consular and welfare obligations toward its nationals — obligations the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is now actively discharging.

Why a drone strike at Sharjah matters

Sharjah Anchorage sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman, one of the world's most critical oil-transit corridors. A drone attack this far into UAE territorial waters — as opposed to the open sea — marks a notable escalation in geography, if confirmed. India has roughly 150,000 seafarers active in the global merchant fleet at any given time, making the safety of crew aboard vessels in contested or volatile waters a live policy concern for New Delhi.

The ministry has not named a perpetrator, and no group has claimed responsibility in the information available at this time. The focus, as Minister Sonowal's statement makes clear, is squarely on crew welfare and continuous situational monitoring.

Twenty-two families are breathing easier tonight — but the questions about who struck a commercial tanker in the shadow of the UAE coast are only beginning to surface.