Following a missile strike by a Houthi-fired weapon, a tanker with connections to the United Kingdom burned for several hours in the Gulf of Aden.
The Yemeni organization, which is supported by Iran, said that it attacked the Marlin Luanda on Friday in retaliation for “American-British aggression”.
After ship attacks in the Red Sea, the US and UK conducted airstrikes against Houthi sites.
The vessel received support from US, Indian, and French navy ships. “Intolerable and illegal,” was how UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps described the strike.
“We must protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and we remain as committed to that cause as ever,” he stated on X.
Oceonix Services Ltd, a business registered in the United Kingdom, is identified as the operator of the Marlin Luanda.
Operating on behalf of the global trading business Trafigura, the tanker is flying the Marshall Islands flag.
Trafigura provided an update on Saturday stating that the fire in a cargo tank had been extinguished and that all crew members were safe. The ship was currently heading for a secure harbor, according to the business.
There were one Bangladeshi and twenty-two Indian crew members on the tanker, according to the US Central Command (Centcom).
This is the Houthis’ most recent assault on commercial vessels in the Red Sea region. According to the group, it is attacking nearby vessels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is engaged in combat with Hamas.
A representative for the Houthis asserted in a statement that the Marlin Luanda was a British vessel that was attacked in retaliation for “American-British aggression against our country”.
A statement from the UK government stated that it and its allies “reserve the right to respond appropriately” and that any attacks on commercial vessels are “completely unacceptable”.
That “these unlawful actions have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza” was stated by the US Central Command.
The incident took place 60 nautical miles southeast of Aden, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
Other vessels were cautioned to pass cautiously and report any unusual behavior. Afterward, Centcom announced that its forces had attacked “against a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch” on Saturday at 03:45 local time (00:45 GMT). According to Centcom, they “destroyed the missile in self-defense”.
Since November, the Houthis have conducted scores of attacks on commercial vessels sailing through the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest trade corridors.
