Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said on Tuesday that 23 people had been rescued from a Panama-flagged oil tanker after an attack left the vessel’s engine room ablaze, while two crew remain unaccounted for.
The vessel, identified as EL GAIA, was about 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam when the incident occurred, the centre told MarineLink Maritime News in a report published on 15 September 2026. Rescue teams moved swiftly to evacuate the majority of those onboard.
Oman’s statement said the tanker was being towed to an Omani port after the fire took hold in the engine room following the attack. The report did not name the port to which the tanker was being taken.
Authorities confirmed 23 people were rescued from the stricken vessel. Two crew members were missing at the time of the announcement and their whereabouts had not been disclosed in the report.
MarineLink Maritime News carried the centre’s account on Tuesday, stating the vessel flew the Panama flag. No further details were provided about the nature or origin of the attack in the item supplied.
Location and vessel details
The incident was reported to have taken place roughly 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam, a position that places the tanker well off the coast of the Omani peninsula. The location was given by Oman’s Maritime Security Centre in its bulletin to the press.
The tanker was named as EL GAIA and was described in the report as Panama-flagged. The account focused on the immediate consequences of the attack: an engine-room fire and the subsequent rescue, followed by towing arrangements.
Response measures
Omani authorities coordinated the rescue and the towing operation, according to the report. The account indicates the initial phase of response concluded with 23 people taken from the vessel and the decision to bring the tanker to a local port for further action.
The report did not include additional operational details, such as which agencies assisted in the evacuation, the condition of those rescued, or whether any pollution or cargo loss had been detected. It also did not specify the nationality of the crew or the missing seafarers.
The information published by MarineLink provides a concise account of the event as communicated by Oman’s Maritime Security Centre, leaving further particulars to be confirmed by subsequent statements or investigations.
Authorities locally and internationally typically follow attacks on commercial shipping with inquiries into cause and responsibility. The report of 23 people rescued and two missing is the principal verified information available from the centre’s bulletin as carried by MarineLink on 15 September 2026.
For now, the immediate humanitarian priority is the welfare of those rescued and efforts to account for the two missing crew members, while the tanker is moved to Omani waters for assessment and any necessary salvage or investigative work.