Oil tanker catches fire in Gulf of Aden after Houthi missile attack

(CNN) — An oil tanker caught fire in the Gulf of Aden after Yemen’s Houthi militants fired missiles on Friday amid continued attacks on the key sea route.

Commodity group Trafigura, which operates the ship, said on Friday that the oil tanker Marlin Luanda was attacked by a missile.

In a statement, Trafigura said the ship “was hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden after crossing the Red Sea,” adding that “it was necessary to suppress and control a fire in a cargo tank on the starboard side.” Fire fighting equipment is being deployed on board the ship.” ,

Iran-backed terrorists said in a statement, claiming responsibility for the attack release Who fired missiles at the tanker in response to “American-British aggression against our country (Yemen)” and in support of the Palestinian people.

Trafigura, which has an office in Britain, said it was monitoring the situation and that military ships in the area were “working to provide assistance.”

The British government has not yet commented on the attack.

A US destroyer in the Gulf of Aden is responding to a distress call from a burning tanker, according to a US official.

US Central Command said the ship had issued a distress call and reported damage after militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from an area of ​​Yemen controlled by the Houthis.

The guided missile destroyer USS Carney and other coalition ships responded and are providing assistance, Central Command said.

He said that at present there is no information about anyone being injured.

NASA’s Fire Information Resource Management System (FIRMS) detected Friday that a fire is still burning near Marlin Luanda’s last known location in the middle of the Gulf of Aden.

Earlier, according to US Central Command, the USS Carney shot down a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile that was targeting the American warship. No injuries resulted from the attack on USS Carney.

The United States and Britain are carrying out strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen after the Biden administration and its allies warned that the group would face consequences for its attacks on international sea lanes.

The Houthis have said they will not stop their attacks until the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza ends. Houthi leader Abdul Malek al-Houthi said in a speech on Thursday that “it is a great honor and blessing to confront the United States directly.”

The attacks have forced some of the world’s largest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.

CNN previously reported that US intelligence services believe Iran is carefully calibrating its response to Israel’s war in Gaza, allowing its supported groups to undermine Israeli and US interests in the region. and even encouraging them, although restraining them from carrying out activities that would lead to direct conflict. Iran only.

In Yemen, a year-long conflict between Houthi forces and the Saudi-backed coalition has plunged the population into a devastating humanitarian crisis marked by famine, economic turmoil and extreme poverty.

Yemenis hold up a mock missile while taking part in a protest against US-led air strikes against Yemen.
Credit: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images

Houthi forces attacked the capital Sanaa in 2014 and overthrew the internationally recognized government backed by Saudi Arabia, triggering a civil war. The conflict escalated into a broader war in 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition intervened in an effort to push back the Houthis.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the conflict has caused 377,000 deaths in 2021. More than half died from indirect causes related to the conflict, such as lack of food, water and health care.

—CNN’s Christian Edwards, Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand and Oren Lieberman contributed to this report.