The Indian Navy warship INS Trikand has conducted firefighting and search and rescue operations for the Cameroon-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier MT Falcon after an explosion left the vessel adrift off the coast of Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden.
The incident, which occurred on 20 October, underscores the persistent dangers facing merchant shipping in one of the world’s most strategically significant and volatile waterways.
According to a statement issued by the Indian Navy, MT Falcon, carrying 26 crew members and a full cargo of LPG, suffered an onboard explosion approximately 116 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen.
The blast triggered a severe fire, forcing the crew to abandon ship. Twenty-four crew members, including twenty-five Indians and one British national, were rescued by nearby merchant vessels following distress alerts coordinated through international maritime channels.
Responding swiftly, INS Trikand —a frontline frigate deployed in the Gulf of Aden as part of India’s ongoing anti-piracy and maritime security mission — arrived at the scene and worked alongside a salvage tug hired by the ship’s owner to contain the blaze.
Once the fire was stabilised, a team of naval firefighters and medical personnel boarded the damaged vessel, recovering the remains of two missing crew members “braving intense heat, damaged structures and toxic fumes,” the Navy confirmed.
The recovered bodies were later handed over to the Indian Embassy in Djibouti for repatriation.
Initial reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) suggested the possibility that the ship had been struck by an unidentified projectile.
However, UKMTO later clarified that investigations were ongoing and that an onboard accident could not be ruled out. The alert was subsequently downgraded to an advisory as forensic assessments and structural inspections continued.
The European Union Naval Force’s (EUNAVFOR) Operation ASPIDES coordinated the initial rescue effort, with the nearby gas carrier MEDA recovering the survivors.
The Hellenic Navy frigate HS Spetsai later escorted MEDA to the Port of Djibouti, where the rescued seafarers were transferred to local authorities.
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