'We Are On Fire': UK Oil Tanker Sends Distress Message After Houthi Attack; Indian Navy Responds

The fire on the merchant vessel Marlin Luanda, caused by a Houthi strike, has now been extinguished. On Saturday, the US Central Command reported a missile attack in the Gulf of Aden on a vessel owned by UK-based Oceonix Services, with a multinational crew of 22 Indians and 1 Bangladeshi.

“Yemeni naval forces carried out a targeting operation on the British oil ship Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, using a number of appropriate naval missiles. The strike was direct, and resulted [in] the burning of the vessel,” Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Friday. After a distress message from the ship’s captain, USS Carney, the French Navy Frigate FS Alsace and the Indian Navy Frigate INS Visakhapatnam responded quickly, providing critical firefighting material and assistance to the civilian crew.

Read More: INS Visakhapatnam Responds to Distress Call From Missile-hit Merchant Ship; 22 Indians Onboard

“Yesterday, the Iranian-backed Houthis struck the Marshall Islands-flagged, Bermuda-owned M/V Marlin Luanda with an Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) in the Gulf of Aden. Marlin Luanda is transporting for commercial use a cargo of Naphtha, a highly flammable liquid hydrogen mixture. Following the missile strike, a major fire ensued in one of the cargo holds,” the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Sunday.

“Thanks to this rapid response by the U.S., Indian and French navies, the fire is now extinguished. There were no casualties in the attack, the ship remains seaworthy, and has returned to its previous course,” the statement added.

87000MTS of Naphtha

On Saturday, sources informed CNN-News18 that the UK tanker’s crew initiated firefighting using a fixed foam system and inert gas. They have sought the assistance of firefighting experts. The ship was carrying 87000MTS of Naphtha. Earlier reports suggested that the crew had abandoned the ship due to the hazardous nature of the cargo and its potential consequences. However, reliable sources have confirmed that this has not occurred yet, and the crew is still actively trying to extinguish a fire on the ship.

This latest maritime attack comes as the US and the UK have conducted airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen following warnings from the US and its allies. The strikes were in response to the group’s attacks on the international shipping lane. The Houthis, in turn, have declared their intent to continue their attacks until the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza concludes.

Houthi leader Abdul Malek al-Houthi expressed satisfaction in confronting the US directly, saying it is a “great honour and blessing.” These attacks have led major shipping and oil companies to halt transit through a crucial maritime trade route, with tankers opting for longer routes around the African continent instead of using the Suez Canal.

‘Crisis Hurting Trade’

On Friday, the top UN trade body warned about the disruption in global trade due to chaos in the Red Sea shipping route, saying that the ongoing crisis would hurt developing nations such as India. The United Nation’s trade and development body, UNCTAD, said that the crisis is impacting global food prices, with longer distances and higher freight rates.

“Disruptions in grain shipments from Europe, the Russian Federation and Ukraine pose risks to global food security, affecting consumers and lowering the prices paid to producers,” UNCTAD said in a statement. The UN body stressed the urgent need for swift adaptations from the shipping industry and robust international cooperation to navigate the rapid reshaping of global trade dynamics. The current challenges underscore trade’s vulnerability to geopolitical tensions, demanding collective efforts for sustainable solutions, it added.