GEM NO.2 Hit by Projectile off UAE Coast

A crude supertanker caught fire off the United Arab Emirates on Friday after being hit by an unknown projectile in the western Arabian Gulf.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker was struck about 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera, UAE. The fire was put out. UKMTO confirmed no casualties in its advisory. Two shipping and security sources identified the tanker as GEM NO.2, a Panama-flagged VLCC fully laden with oil.

No group claimed responsibility. UKMTO did not name the tanker. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately said an LPG tanker was struck while crossing the Strait of Hormuz on the same day, though it was not clear whether the two incidents were linked.

The hit came on the back of a week of escalating attacks across the Gulf. On 7 October, the tanker Acers was struck by multiple projectiles in the Arabian Gulf off Qatar. Three days before that, MT On Peace was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, injuring 12 crew members. Maritime security sources said Friday's strike, west of Al Jazeera and outside the Hormuz corridor, indicated a widening of risk across a broader stretch of Gulf waters.