Oil tanker Marlin Luanda catches fire in Red Sea after missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi fighters
An oil tanker has caught fire in the Red Sea after a missile attack by Houthi fighters based in Yemen.
The ship’s owner, Trafigura, said the Marlin Luanda “was struck by a missile as it transited the Red Sea” on Friday.
“Firefighting equipment on board is being deployed to suppress and control the fire caused in one cargo tank on the starboard side,” it added.
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Trafigura, a trading firm with offices in London, said it was still in contact with the 250-metre-long vessel.
Crew boarded lifeboats as a precaution but no injuries have been reported, American officials told Sky’s US partner NBC News.
The ship is understood to be loaded with a flammable liquid called naphtha, making the fire even more dangerous.
USS Carney and a French frigate responded to the ship’s distress call.
The incident happened 60 nautical miles southeast of Aden in Yemen, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which oversees the area.
The USS Carney was itself targeted by a ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, according to the US military.
A US official, speaking anonymously, said it was the first time the Houthis had directly targeted an American warship since they began their attacks.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November, blaming Israel’s war on Hamas.
However, they have targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, endangering shipping on a key trade route and causing some to sail a much longer route.
In a statement, Houthi brigadier general Yahya Saree called the Marlin Luanda a “British” tanker.
He said the attack was in support “of the oppressed Palestinian people” and in response “to the American-British aggression against our country”.
“Using a number of appropriate naval missiles, the strike was direct, and resulted the burning of the vessel,” he said.
“Yemeni Armed Forces persist with their military operations,” he added.
“Enforcing a blockade on Israeli navigation in the Red and Arabian seas until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza, and food and medicine are allowed in to the besieged Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
Shipping data suggests the Marlin Luanda sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands and was on its way to Singapore.
UKMTO warned other ships to sail with caution and report any suspicious activity.
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Alongside numerous airstrikes on key Houthi targets, the UK and US are also targeting key figures in the Iran-backed militant group with sanctions.
A second series of UK and US airstrikes, carried out at the start of the week, appears to have done little to deter Houthi action.