A Trafigura-operated product tanker that caught fire after taking a direct hit from a Houthi missile is still ablaze.
The crew “is continuing efforts to control the fire in one of the ship’s cargo tanks with support from military vessels”, Trafigura said in a statement on Saturday morning.
The Marshall Islands-flagged, 110,000-dwt Marlin Luanda (built 2018) was struck in the Gulf of Aden on Friday afternoon after transiting the Red Sea delivering a cargo of jet fuel to Singapore.
No injuries or casualties have so far been reported among the crew, Trafigura added.
The Swiss trading giant confirmed that the Marlin Luanda is carrying Russian-origin Naphtha purchased below the price cap in line with the existing sanctions regime.
According to data on the Clarksons Sea Live platform, the Marlin Luanda linked up with the Dale shuttle tanker on 17 January off the southern coast of the Greek mainland.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Friday that the 110,000-dwt Marlin Luanda, which shipping databases show is owned by UK-based Oceonix Services, was the target of an attack on Friday.
The ship is listed in the fleet of Oceonix and owned by institutional investors advised by JP Morgan.
“Yemeni naval forces carried out a targeting operation on the British oil ship Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, using a number of appropriate naval missiles,” Saree said in a statement.
“The strike was direct, and resulted [in] the burning of the vessel.”
The ship was also near another incident earlier that day.
As TradeWinds reported, a projectile exploded near the 109,000-dwt product tanker Achilles (built 2008), which is affiliated with India Gaurik Ship Management and was transporting cargo from Russia’s Ust-Luga port.
The Marlin Luanda was reported to have been 10 nautical miles away from that incident.
The Houthis have threatened to target ships linked to the US and UK after the two countries launched several air and naval strikes against the militant group in Yemen.
