Tanker Ablaze Near Yemen After Unexplained Explosion
(Bloomberg) -- A Cameroon-flagged tanker vessel caught fire off the coast of Yemen after an explosion, with two crew members missing, signaling continued risk to maritime transit even as a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza continues to hold.
The MV Falcon was sailing 113 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s port of Aden, according to EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, an EU military operation in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Gulf. An estimated 15% of the ship is currently on fire and there’s a risk of more explosions.
The UKMTO, which acts as a liaison between the navy and commercial vessels, said it received reports that the vessel was hit by an unknown projectile, but later added that it hasn’t confirmed the source of the explosion and couldn’t rule an onboard accident.
The UK-based maritime security firm Ambrey said the tanker was en route from Sohar, Oman, to Djibouti, and wasn’t assessed to have been “affiliated with the Houthi target profile.”
The tanker was listed as involved in sanctions-evading activities by the US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran in 2022, Ambrey said in a statement.
Ambrey said it received a distress call following an explosion aboard the vessel, adding that it was aware of the crew’s intention to abandon ship.
According to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg, a liquefied petroleum gas tanker called Falcon is currently positioned in the Gulf of Aden.
EUNAVFOR ASPIDES said it dispatched an immediate response to rescue all crew members, 24 of whom have been picked up by passing vessels, leaving two unaccounted for. All but one of the crew were Indian and the final member Ukrainian, the EU operation said.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia, operating out of Yemen, repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in an attempt to pressure Israel to halt its war in Gaza, upending trade in the vital waterway.
The group halted the attacks during the first ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in March, but resumed as negotiations fell apart and the war resumed in the enclave. There were no immediate claims of responsibility about Saturday’s incident from the Houthis.
(Updates with new UKMTO statement starting in first paragraph)
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