Friday April 25, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — An oil tanker sailing under the Marshall Islands flag caught fire off Somalia’s coast, leaving it stranded without power and injuring one crew member, maritime authorities said.
The tanker, Invictus, was en route from Beira, Mozambique, to Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, when a fire broke out in its engine room on the evening of April 22. The vessel was approximately 508 nautical miles southeast of Mogadishu at the time of the incident.
The crew extinguished the fire by midday on April 23. However, flooding in the engine compartment disabled the ship’s propulsion system, preventing a full damage assessment and leaving the vessel adrift in the Indian Ocean.
An Indian Navy ship operating nearby responded to the distress call and dispatched a medical team to assist. One Filipino crew member sustained burn injuries and remains aboard the vessel as the management company evaluates options for medical evacuation and repairs.
The remainder of the crew is safe and continues to stay onboard as authorities monitor the situation.
The Invictus, a 180-meter-long tanker, was travelling along one of the world’s busiest and most strategic maritime corridors at the time of the incident.
European Union naval forces in the region are also tracking the situation closely as plans are made to stabilize and secure the vessel.
