JERUSALEM: The crew of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker attacked by a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday extinguished an hour-long fire aboard the ship caused by the attack, authorities said.
The attack on Merlin Luanda further complicated the Red Sea crisis caused by an Iranian-backed rebel offensive against Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The tanker was carrying naphtha, a flammable oil from Russia, further embroiling Russia in a conflict it has previously blamed on the United States.
Early Saturday morning, U.S. forces carried out a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile that was preparing to launch into the Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command. The attack came after the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney had to shoot down a Houthi missile that targeted it.
The Kajikiruanda burned for several hours in the Gulf of Aden before being extinguished on Saturday, Singapore-based trading company Trafigura said. The crew of 25 Indians and two Sri Lankans continued to battle the fire caused by the missile attack, the statement said. It added that no one was injured in the explosion.
“We are pleased to confirm that all crew members of the Marlin Luanda are safe and that the fire in the cargo tank has been completely extinguished,” Trafigura said. “The ship is currently en route to a safe port.”
The Indian Navy announced that the guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam is assisting the crew of the Merlin Luanda in fighting the fire. The newspaper posted images showing the fire, which appeared to have been started by naphtha on board, still burning as of Saturday.
The ship is managed by a British company and is transporting Russian naphtha bound for Singapore, the company said. The report said the flammable crude oil was being purchased below the price cap set by G7 sanctions imposed on Russia due to its ongoing war with Ukraine. It was not clear what impact the attack had on the environment.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Salih claimed the attack on the Merlin Luanda in a prerecorded statement late Friday, describing it as a “British oil ship.” He insisted that such attacks would continue.
Since November, rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over Israeli attacks on Hamas in Gaza. But they frequently target ships with weak or unclear links to Israel, endangering shipping in key routes for global trade between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Since the airstrike campaign began, the rebels have now said they also intend to target US and British ships. On Wednesday, two U.S.-flagged ships carrying cargo for the U.S. Department of Defense and State Department were attacked by the Houthis, forcing a U.S. Navy warship escorting them to shoot down some of the projectiles.
China, which relies on maritime trade through the region, called for calm. The United States was trying to get China to put pressure on Iran because Beijing remains a major buyer of Iranian oil that is sanctioned by the West.
