In a harrowing maritime incident off the Yemen coast, twenty-three Indian crew members were successfully rescued from the MV Falcon after an explosion caused a massive fire on board. The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker was adrift and engulfed in flames following the blast.
The incident occurred on Saturday, October 18, 2025, when the Cameroon-flagged MV Falcon, en route to Djibouti from southeast of the port of Aden, Yemen, sent out an urgent distress call. The vessel was fully loaded with highly flammable liquefied petroleum gas, making the situation critically dangerous.
Responding swiftly to the distress signal, the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) ASPIDES, a defensive operation dedicated to protecting civilian ships and crews in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, launched a search and rescue (SAR) operation. Rear Admiral Andrea Quondamatteo, Force Commander of ASPIDES, coordinated the complex rescue efforts.
“EUNAVFOR ASPIDES… has successfully coordinated a SAR operation,” stated an official release from ASPIDES. The statement confirmed that the merchant vessel MV MEDA was instrumental in saving “24 crewmembers of MV FALCON (1 Ukrainian and 23 Indians),” bringing them to safety.
Following the rescue, the MV Falcon was escorted to the Port of Djibouti, where the grateful seafarers were handed over to the Djiboutian Coast Guard. While the majority of the crew is safe, a somber note remains: two of the 26 crew members are still unaccounted for.
Authorities, including ASPIDES, have issued warnings to all vessels in the vicinity, urging them to maintain a safe distance from the MV Falcon due to the ongoing risk of further explosions from its hazardous LPG cargo.