Recovery and salvage efforts are underway after the LPG carrier Falcon reported an explosion and fire last Saturday, October 18, while sailing off the coast of Yemen. The Indian Navy reported on the response, saying the fire is controlled, and it was able to recover the remains of the two missing seafarers from the vessel’s crew.
The Indian warship INS Trikand is deployed to the Gulf of Aden for maritime security operations. After the Falcon’s crew issued the call for aid, the Indian vessel was dispatched. Greek and French assets supported the rescue of the crew, who had abandoned the tanker into its life raft.
The Indian warship assisted a civilian tug hired by the shipping company for the salvage of the vessel. They provided firefighting support and said yesterday, October 22, the fire aboard the vessel has been brought under control. There were concerns of a potential secondary explosion as the vessel, which is laden with as much as 35,000 cbm of liquified petroleum gas.
“A team of firefighting and medical specialists from INS Trikand boarded MT Falcon and recovered the mortal remains of two missing crew,” a spokesperson for the Indian Navy reported. They noted that the crew was “braving intense heat, damaged structures, and toxic fumes.”
Damage to the equipment on the LPG carrier (Indian Navy)
There has been no further clarification on the cause of the incident, which the Western authorities are now referring to as an accident. The first reports said that the ship was hit by an unknown projectile, but later clarified to be more likely to have been an accident on a vessel that had a history of maintenance problems. The Houthis denied involvement, supported by the fact that the ship was likely smuggling LPG from Iran to the Houthis. However, there has also been widespread speculation that the Israelis might have acted against the vessel.
Crew landing after rescue (Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority)
The Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority reported that the 24 surviving crewmembers were landed in Djibouti late on Sunday, October 19. The ship had a crew of 26, consisting of 25 Indians and one Ukrainian. The reports said the survivors were in good condition and would be repatriated. The Indian Navy reports the bodies of the two killed in the blast, believed to be Indian citizens, were handed over to its Embassy in Djibouti.
EUNAVFOR Aspides had warned last weekend that the vessel was drifting in the Gulf of Aden. A salvage team was hired by the shipping company to take control of the vessel.
