The tanker Marlin Luanda was hit by a Houthi anti-ship missile in the Gulf of Aden, causing a fire on Friday. However, there were no deaths or injuries reported. The commodities trader Trafigura and the US military both confirmed the incident. Trafigura stated that firefighting equipment on board was being used to control the fire in one cargo tank on the starboard side. The US military reported that a US Navy ship and other vessels were providing assistance to the tanker. The Marshall Islands-flagged Marlin Luanda issued a distress call and reported damage, and the USS Carney and other coalition ships were providing assistance.
The US military later destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Red Sea and ready to launch. The missile presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region, according to Central Command.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched exploding drones and missiles at vessels 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. US and British military forces have launched retaliatory airstrikes across Yemen against Houthi forces. The Houthi’s Al-Masira television reported that the US and Britain launched two airstrikes targeting Yemen’s main oil export terminal, but it was not immediately clear if this was the strike referred to by Central Command. The US Fifth Fleet and the British Defence Ministry declined to comment on the matter.
