The United Arab Emirates National Guard has rescued all 22 crew members of a cargo ship that caught fire in the Gulf of Oman, authorities announced on Sunday, 8 November, as maritime tensions intensified amid the conflict involving Iran.
The National Guard said its Coast Guard Division launched the operation after the ship’s crew reported the fire. Specialised teams were sent immediately to locate the vessel, and the crew was brought to safety. The crew, all Arab nationals, received basic medical aid on the spot before the concerned authorities took charge of them, and all 22 were reported to be in stable condition.
The National Guard did not name the ship or its flag, nor did it say what caused the fire. Its announcement also provided no precise location within the Gulf of Oman, a busy shipping area adjoining the Strait of Hormuz. There was no official indication that the fire resulted from hostile action or was connected to the military confrontation involving Iran.
A separate incident nearby
According to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), it had received a report on Saturday of an incident involving a bulk carrier and military forces in the Gulf of Oman, east of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, about 18 nautical miles offshore. The condition of the crew, extent of damage and environmental impact were initially unknown.
The rescue coincided with a separate maritime confrontation in the Gulf of Oman, in which US Central Command said American forces had disabled a commercial cargo vessel after it attempted to break the blockade of Iran. The UAE authorities did not identify the rescued cargo ship as that vessel, and no verified information established any connection between the fire and the American operation. The two incidents must not be conflated.
Maritime risks in the region have already been documented by the International Maritime Organization. Its publicly available incident register recorded 129 confirmed incidents across the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East as of 5 November, along with 24 confirmed seafarer fatalities. Those figures predate Sunday’s rescue.
A pattern of Gulf rescues
The operation highlights the National Guard’s operational readiness and the field capabilities of its Coast Guard personnel in handling maritime emergencies, the authority said. Earlier, on 10 October, the UAE National Guard’s Coast Guard Division rescued 22 Asian nationals after a fire broke out aboard an oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about 20% of the world’s petroleum, and the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said at least 11 ships had been attacked in and around the strait over the preceding week, with three sinking. The rescue came as the United States tightens its blockade on Iran and Tehran simultaneously lifts limits on its missile programme.
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