The tanker Marlin Luanda was struck by a Houthi anti-ship missile in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, causing a fire. However, no deaths or injuries were reported. Commodities trader Trafigura and the U.S. military confirmed the incident, with the former stating that firefighting equipment was being used to suppress and control the fire in one cargo tank on the starboard side of the vessel. Additionally, the U.S. military reported that a U.S. Navy ship and other vessels were providing assistance to the Marlin Luanda.
The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, Marlin Luanda, issued a distress call and reported damage after being hit by the missile. Following the attack, the U.S. military destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Red Sea and ready to launch, deeming it an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi extremists have been launching exploding drones and missiles at vessels in the Red Sea since November 19, in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Some shipping companies have suspended transits through the Red Sea and taken longer, costlier journeys around Africa as a result.
Furthermore, U.S. and British forces have launched retaliatory airstrikes across Yemen against Houthi forces. Al-Masira television, run by the Houthis, reported that the United States and Britain conducted airstrikes targeting the port of Ras Issa, Yemen’s main oil export terminal. However, the identity of the strikes was not confirmed by Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The British Defence Ministry also declined to comment.