Fire Aboard Gas Tanker in Gulf of Aden Claims Two Lives
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – A fire erupted on the Cameroon-flagged gas tanker Falcon in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of two crew members, authorities reported Monday. The vessel remains adrift off the coast of Yemen.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, overseen by the U.S.Navy, determined the fire originated from an explosion considered accidental.Initial reports from the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center indicated a possible projectile strike, but this was later retracted. The center stated the incident was “not caused by an external factor/influence,” based on accounts from the crew.
Of the 26 individuals aboard the Falcon, 24 were successfully evacuated by responding vessels. The crew consisted of Indian nationals and one Ukrainian citizen, all of whom have as arrived in Djibouti, as confirmed by photos released by the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority.
Satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC captured the ship ablaze off the coast of Yemen at 0750 GMT on Saturday. Images released Monday by the European Union’s Operation Aspides, which patrols the Red Sea corridor, showed notable fire damage to the ship’s deck piping, though the vessel remained stable.
Operation Aspides has warned the Falcon “remains on fire and adrift,” and indicated a private salvage company will be responsible for recovering the ship.
The incident occurs amidst heightened tensions in the region. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have previously targeted ships in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, though they have not claimed responsibility for any attacks sence a ceasefire began on October 10th.
The Falcon was previously identified by United Against Nuclear Iran, a New York-based lobbying group, as potentially being part of an Iranian “ghost fleet” used to circumvent international sanctions by moving oil products offshore. Attempts to reach the ship’s owners and operators, listed as being based in India, have been unsuccessful.
This report was translated from English by an AP editor with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence.