LNG-laden tanker on fire off Yemen, EU naval mission says

(Reuters) -The LNG-laden tanker MV Falcon was on fire and adrift on Saturday off the coast of Yemen, after it reported an explosion that forced members of its crew to abandon the vessel, the European Union’s naval force Aspides said in a statement.

The cause of the explosion was unclear, Aspides said, adding that 15% of the Cameroon-flagged vessel was on fire, according to initial indications.

Due to the risk of further explosions, since the tanker was fully loaded with liquefied natural gas, Aspides said it had advised vessels in the area to keep a safe distance from the carrier.

An operation was in progress to rescue its 26 crew members.

So far, 24 seafarers have been recovered by two merchant vessels sailing nearby. One of the crew members remains on board and another one is reported missing, Aspides said, adding that a Greek frigate had been dispatched close to the scene.

The MV Falcon was travelling from Oman’s Sohar Port to Djibouti, British security firm Ambrey said earlier. The explosion occurred as it was sailing 113 nautical miles southeast of the port of Aden in Yemen.

Maritime security sources said that neither missiles nor unmanned aerial vehicles had been detected in the area.    

British security firm Ambrey said the tanker was not believed to match the target profile of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants who have launched numerous attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, saying they act in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war on Gaza.

The attacks have disrupted trade flows through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. 

(Reporting by Enas Alashray, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Hatem Maher, Yannis Souliotis and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Jan Harvey and Barbara Lewis)