A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) burst into flames off the coast of Yemen on Saturday after an explosion forced the crew to abandon shipthe EU maritime mission Aspides said in a statement. According to her, one crew member is still on board the tanker and another remains missing for the time being, reports TASR based on a Reuters report.
- A fire broke out on a tanker carrying LNG after an explosion.
- They are looking for one crew member, the rest were rescued by merchant ships.
- The cause of the explosion is still unknown, the vessels warned.
- A Greek frigate was sent to the scene of the accident.
- There is no evidence of an attack by Houthi rebels on the tanker.
The remaining 24 crew members were rescued by two merchant ships located near the Cameroon-flagged tanker. For now, the cause of the explosion remains unclear, according to Aspides. The mission added that initial information indicated that 15 percent of the tanker was on fire.
Due to the risk of further explosions, Aspides advised vessels in the area to keep a safe distance from the tanker. A Greek frigate was dispatched to the vicinity of the accident site, the mission added. The tanker was sailing from the Omani port of Suhar to the African Djibouti, the British security company Ambrey reported earlier on Saturday. The explosion occurred when the ship was located 113 nautical miles southeast of the port of Aden in western Yemen.
Maritime security sources said no missile or drone flyovers were reported in the area. Ambrey added that the tanker was unlikely to have been hit by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who since November 2023 – shortly after the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip – repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden connected to Israel. They describe the attacks as an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
