On October 18th, a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker named the ‘Falcon suffered a serious on-board explosion incident in the Gulf of Aden. Due to the perceived risk, none of the vessels passing by dared to approach.

Another L tanker, the ‘Meda’, while sailing at a distance of about 10 nautical miles from the distressed ‘Falcon’, intercepted the distress transmitted by the ‘Falcon’ via VHF Channel 16, reporting a serious explosion on board.

The ‘Falcon’, which had suffered severe, was forced to be abandoned by the crew, and two fatalities have been confirmed so far.

The Master of the ‘Meda’, Joginder Singh, responded to the distress call and took command, directing the vessel at full speed towards the scene of distress, while maintaining a cautious distance due to the possible risk of flammable gas Despite initial difficulties in establishing direct communication, lookouts soon spotted the liferafts and boats, which were seen bobbing up and down in the waves. A few minutes later, ‘Falcon’ responded, confirming the explosion and the crew’s evacuation.

The distress information was promptly relayed to all stations and the full details were notified to MRCC in Djibouti. The Master and his team then launched a rescue operation.

Upon arrival at the area where survivors were spotted, the deck crew of ‘Meda’ expertly threw out the heaving lines and hawsers, establishing a connection with the liferafts and boats. Under the dangerous conditions near the site of explosion, the crew worked methodically, bringing all 24 survivors on board safely.

The rescued personnel included 23 Indian seafarers and 1 Ukrainian seaf, who were immediately provided with medical assistance, as well as food, water, clothing, and accommodation. According to the ‘Meda’s chief officer and doctor, no major injuries were found, and all the seafarers were reported to be stable.

The ‘Meda’ maintained seamless coordination with the Djibouti MRCC and subsequently to Djibouti port for a crew handover.