/Reuters Agency
The rescue operation for the tanker loaded with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), MV Falcon, has begun. The vessel was still on fire and adrift in the Gulf of Aden after an explosion that occurred on October 18, according to maritime security sources.
The Cameroon-flagged ship was fully loaded when the explosion occurred while it was sailing off the coast of Yemen, forcing most of its 26 crew members to abandon the vessel.
The cause of the explosion is unclear, but initial indications suggest it was an accident related to its cargo, according to the European Union’s naval mission Aspides and other sources.
Two of the crew members have not yet been located. The rest, rescued by merchant ships passing through the area, have been safely transferred to Djibouti.
A private company has taken charge of the rescue operation, Aspides reported. Maritime security sources indicated that on Monday, October 20, a firefighting vessel was alongside the MV Falcon.
“Efforts to recover the vessel are continuing,” one of the sources said. The MV Falcon was traveling from the Port of Sohar in Oman to Djibouti when the explosion occurred.
An official from the Houthi Defense Ministry stated that the group was not involved in the incident, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.
Yemen’s Houthis, aligned with Iran, have repeatedly launched drone and missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea region since 2023, stating that their actions are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza.
Aspides has advised vessels sailing in the area to exercise extreme caution due to the incident, which represents a danger to navigation.
