Oil Tanker on Fire After Houthi Missile Attack

An oil tanker is on fire in the Gulf of Aden after Houthis said they hit it with a missile.

The Yemeni movement said it targeted the Marlin Luanda on Friday evening.

Operator Trafigura told tnewsmen that the strike caused a fire in one of the ship’s cargo tanks and firefighting equipment was being used to contain it.

The US military said the Houthis hit the tanker with an anti-ship ballistic missile and naval ships had responded to its distress signal.

The US Central Command said in a statement that no injuries were reported.

It is the latest attack on commercial shipping by the Iran-backed Houthis in and around the Red Sea.

The group says it is targeting vessels in the region in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is fighting Hamas.

The US and UK have launched air strikes on Houthi targets in response, supported by some other countries.

In a statement, a Houthi spokesperson claimed the Marlin Luanda was a British ship and was targeted in response to “American-British aggression against our country”.

The tanker flies under the flag of the Marshall Islands and is operated by Trafigura – a multinational trading company domiciled in Singapore.