A tanker from the Iranian “ghost fleet” was mysteriously struck off the coast of Yemen.

On Saturday, a tanker carrying liquefied gas from Iran caught fire in the Gulf of Aden, near Yemen. The incident raised concerns about the causes of the event and the vessel’s connection to Tehran’s sanctioned oil trade.

The tanker, named MV FALCON, ignited while transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is often used in cooking. The circumstances of the initial fire remain in question.

According to a report by the Iranian opposition media Iran International, the vessel was hit by a missile of unknown origin. Meanwhile, Israeli officials denied their country’s involvement in the incident, and Iranian state media rejected any connection of the tanker to Iran.

Tracking data shows that the tanker was registered under the flag of Cameroon and is owned by an Indian company. It loaded LPG at the Iranian port of Asaluyeh on September 25 and was reportedly headed to the port of Ras Isa in Yemen. The destination suggests that the cargo was likely intended for the Houthis, an Iranian-backed rebel group controlling a significant part of northern Yemen.

On board the MV FALCON were 24 crew members, including 23 Indian nationals and one Ukrainian. One crew member went missing, while the others evacuated after the fire started. An auxiliary Greek ship was nearby during the incident, and a French aircraft was dispatched to assist.

The United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) group, based in the USA, previously identified the MV FALCON as part of Iran’s “ghost fleet” — a network of tankers that violate international sanctions by transporting oil and petroleum products.

The European Union’s Maritime Emergency Center expressed the opinion that the fire was most likely the result of an accident. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which monitors commercial shipping in the region, published the vessel’s coordinates and reported an explosion on board.