A Cameroon-flagged tanker caught fire on Saturday after being struck by a projectile in the Gulf of Aden, with UK maritime monitors confirming the incident east of Aden and early reports indicating the crew considered abandoning ship as search-and-rescue efforts began.

What Happened and Where

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said “a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile, resulting with a fire,” placing the incident roughly 116 nautical miles (about 214km) east of Aden.

Authorities said they were investigating the strike and did not immediately detail casualties or damage beyond the onboard blaze.

Vessel Identity and Crew Status

Maritime security reporting noted the ship as a Cameroon-flagged tanker that transmitted a distress call about 60 nautical miles south of Ahwar while transiting from Sohar, Oman, to Djibouti.

Radio exchanges indicated the crew prepared to abandon ship as responders moved to assist. Separately, open-source tracking linked the description to the LPG carrier Falcon.

Wider Pattern and Recent Lulls

The strike comes amid a broader campaign of attacks on regional shipping that has killed mariners and sunk multiple vessels since late 2023, though no claim had been issued in this case at publication time.

The last deadly incident in the corridor involved the Dutch-flagged Minervagracht at the end of September, where one crew member later died of injuries and the vessel burned adrift.

Regional Military Backdrop

Regional tensions remain high: recent weeks have seen cross-border missile and drone exchanges as well as reported airstrikes targeting armed-group leadership in Yemen.

Israeli authorities said they were aware of Saturday’s ship strike but denied conducting any operation there, and separate reports in recent days confirmed the death of a senior Yemeni armed-group commander in an earlier strike.