UK vessel hit by Houthis, all 22 Indian sailors safe
New Delhi, January 27
Yet another merchant vessel, MV Marlin Luanda, carrying naphtha, a flammable fluid, has been hit by a missile fired by Houthi rebels based out of Yemen. All 23 crew members, including 22 Indians, are safe.
Indian Navy warship INS Visakhapatnam, deployed in the Gulf of Aden, responded to the distress call and augmented the firefighting efforts as multi-nation naval warships converged on the site, some 90 km south-east of Aden in Yemen. The Navy vessel, carrying nearly 80,000 tonnes of naphtha, is owned by a UK-based firm, but is sailing under the flag of Marshal Islands.
Recent attacks
Jan 17: Indian Navy responds to a drone attack distress call from MV Genco Picardy in Gulf of Aden
Jan 5: Navy thwarts hijack bid of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in North Arabian Sea
Dec 23: Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew, targeted off India’s coast
The Indian Navy in a post stated the INS Visakhapatnam had deployed its Nuclear Biological Chemical Defence (NBCD) along with firefighting equipment to render assistance to the crew.
The US Central Command headquartered at Bahrain said the attack happened on January 26 at 7.45 pm (Yemen time). It said: “Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda.”
Meanwhile, the UK government has said Britain and its allies “reserve the right to respond appropriately” after an oil tanker was struck and set alight off Yemen coast. International news agencies said MV Marlin Luanda was operated by commodities group Trafigura in the UK.
A Trafigura spokesperson was quoted as saying: “On January 26, Marlin Luanda, a petroleum products tanker vessel operated on behalf of Trafigura, was struck by a missile as it transited the Red Sea.
“Firefighting equipment on board is being deployed to suppress and control the fire caused in one cargo tank on the starboard side. The safety of the crew is our foremost priority.
“We remain in contact with the vessel and are monitoring the situation carefully. Military ships in the region are under way to provide assistance,” it added.
