A general cargo ship crossing the Red Sea sent out a distress signal this morning immediately after there was an explosion in its engine room.
The Isa Star, an 8200-tonne vessel, had set sail from an Italian port on November 19th and was heading for Indonesia via Suez.
The alarm was raised by the captain of the general cargo ship, reporting flooding in the engine room and announcing his intention to have his crew rescued.
The rescue operation was launched by the EU’s Navfor Aspides, the maritime operation aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation and protecting merchant and commercial shipping in transit in the area that includes the Red Sea. The French frigate FS Languedoc was also sent to rescue them.
The 24-year-old ship, operated by the Emirati Azimuth Ship Management, was 100 nautical miles off the coast of Hodeidah at the time of the accident. A maritime safety source reported that the vessel had engine problems while another source said they reported an explosion on board. It is unclear whether the incident is related to Houthi activity.
The 20 crew members were all successfully taken to Djibouti, considered the nearest safe port of call.
Translation by Giles Foster