A Panama-flagged crude supertanker, the GEM NO.2, was struck by an unknown projectile 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera, UAE, at 1000 GMT on Friday, the second attack on a commercial tanker in the Gulf in under a week.

British maritime risk group Vanguard confirmed the hit, reporting that "GEM NO.2 was struck by an unknown projectile approximately 13nm west of Al Jazeera, UAE, at 1000 (GMT)." The vessel issued a distress alert, and the resulting fire was "subsequently extinguished," Vanguard added.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Agency (UKMTO), affiliated with the Royal Navy, alerted mariners based on multiple sources. Crew status, extent of structural damage, and any environmental impact remain unknown, with UAE authorities now investigating the incident.

Who is operating the vessel?

LSEG ship-tracking data placed the GEM NO.2 fully laden with crude and last positioned at anchor off the UAE coast. Its operator, listed in shipping databases as Gem No.2 Maritime Corp and registered in Panama, could not be reached for comment on Friday.

Panama's open registry covers roughly half of global deadweight tonnage, which complicates the rapid identification of beneficial ownership during live incidents. Charterers, P&I clubs, and cargo insurers tracking the GEM NO.2 will now look to the operator and flag state for casualty updates, salvage timing, and pollution response.

What does the attack signal for tanker supply chains?

Maritime security sources told Reuters the strike fell outside the Strait of Hormuz transit corridor itself, "indicating a widening of risk for ships" approaching and exiting the strait. The incident follows a separate tanker hit off Qatar's coast inside the Gulf earlier this week — the first reported projectile attack in that area.

The US-Navy led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) told operators on Thursday that attacks "have become more frequent in recent days and require added crew vigilance and additional industry monitoring." Iran has issued new warnings, sources said, that it would block shipping routes it has not authorized, after a surge of incidents in the past week.

The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly one-fifth of seaborne crude globally. Any sustained threat to tankers beyond the strait itself would lift VLCC charter rates, push war-risk insurance premiums higher, and force Asian and European refiners to source Atlantic Basin alternatives on shorter notice.

How are operators responding?

UKMTO and JMIC advisories have prompted carriers and crews to raise vigilance across Gulf approaches, with the Joint Maritime Information Center specifically calling for "added crew vigilance and additional industry monitoring" in response to the recent surge.

Freight planners with crude and refined product cargoes are now weighing wider routing options, revised security protocols, and updated charter party clauses. With Iran's warnings still in force and at least two tankers struck in a week, tanker charter costs and war-risk exposure are likely to drift higher through the next sailing window as operators price in a Gulf-wide threat environment rather than a Hormuz-only one.