US strikes Houthi missile target following attack on British fuel tanker
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Trading firm Trafigura said a missile struck the fuel tanker Marlin Luanda as it was transiting the Red Sea.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CAIRO/HOUSTON – American forces struck an anti-ship missile in Houthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire early on Jan 27, hours after the Iran-backed Houthi rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.
The United States and Britain have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis’ ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route – attacks the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is at war with militant group Hamas.
Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
The US military’s Central Command said it carried out another strike early on Jan 27 on a Houthi “anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch”.
“Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defence,” it said on social media platform X.
The Houthis’ Al-Masirah television on Jan 27 said the US and Britain launched two air strikes on the port of Ras Issa in Yemen’s Hodeida province, which hosts the country’s main oil export terminal.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Jan 26 stepped up attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea,
Trafigura said a missile struck the fuel tanker Marlin Luanda as it was transiting the Red Sea. The tanker was carrying Russian naphtha purchased below the price cap in line with Group of Seven sanctions, a Trafigura spokesperson said.
No casualties or injuries were reported.
Firefighting equipment on board was being deployed to suppress and control a fire in one cargo tank on the starboard side, the company said in an e-mailed statement.
“We remain in contact with the vessel and are monitoring the situation carefully,” it said, adding that military ships were on the way to providing assistance.
Attacks by Houthi rebels have primarily targeted container vessels moving through the Red Sea
On Jan 26, the vessel Free Spirit, chartered by Vitol to carry crude oil, did a U-turn before reaching the Gulf of Aden, shortly after the attack on the Marlin Luanda, according to data from LSEG.
A representative for Vitol did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency and British maritime security firm Ambrey said they had received reports of vessels being struck in the Red Sea near Yemen’s Aden and a fire breaking out aboard.
A Houthi military spokesperson said naval forces carried out an operation targeting the “British” tanker Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, causing a fire to break out.
UKMTO received a report of an incident approximately 60 nautical miles south-east of Aden, where “a vessel has been struck by a missile and remains on fire”. Crew members were reportedly safe.
“Coalition warships are in attendance and supporting the vessel,” UKMTO added.
Ambrey also said it was aware of an incident 88.5km south-east of Aden, where a fire broke out after a merchant vessel was hit by a “missile”.
UKMTO had earlier reported an incident in which two missiles exploded in waters near a ship off the port of Aden, and another one 60 nautical miles off Yemen’s Hodeidah port.
It was unclear if one of those vessels was the Marlin Luanda.
The Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched waves of exploding drones and missiles at vessels since Nov 19. Some shipping companies have suspended transits through the Red Sea and taken much longer, costlier journeys around Africa. REUTERS
