These intense images show the international effort to tackle a fire on board an oil tanker with links to the UK after it was shelled by Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden.
The 250-metre long Marlin Luanda was struck by a Yemeni missile on Friday, sparking a fire within a cargo tank on the starboard side of the ship and forcing the evacuation of its crew.
Yemen’s armed forces took immediate responsibility for the strike, labelling the vessel a ‘British oil ship’ as it said the attack was part of its continued campaign of ‘practical solidarity’ with Palestine amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas.
Images issued by FFEAU (Forces françaises aux Emirats Arabes Unis), the French military outpost based in the United Arab Emirates, showed violent fireballs erupting from the side of the Marlin Luanda after the strike.
And video footage shared by the Indian Navy showed water being fired onto the flames during an hours-long battle to bring the inferno under control.
Images shared by the French military based in the UAE showed huge fireballs erupting from the Marlin Luanda after it was struck by a Houthi missile
US, Indian and French naval ships rushed to assist, bringing with them fire-fighting foam supplies that were used to help extinguish the blaze
French Navy officers are seen handling jugs of fire-suppressant foam as they assist the Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden
The Houthis claimed the Marlin Luanda is ‘British’, in this statement shared on X, formerly Twitter by its chief spokesperson Yahya Sare’e
The Marlin Luanda burning after it was struck by a Yemeni missile on Friday; the fire raged for up to 20 hours, according to the French military
The Houthi missile struck a cargo tank on the starboard side of the 250-metre long vessel
A navy spokesperson said 22 Indian and one Bangladeshi crew member were on board, and it had sent the INS Visakhapatnam to answer the Luana’s distress call. No casualties were reported following the Houthi strike.
FFEAU said in a statement it assisted the US Navy’s USS Carney and the Visakhapatnam, sending the frigate Alsace to supply fire-fighting foam until the fire was brought under control around 20 hours after it started.
‘The crew of the Marin Luanda, made up of Indian and Sri Lankan sailors, is safe and sound,’ it added.
The Indian Navy also shared a video from on board the Marlin Luanda, of the ship’s captain alongside navy crewmen on the bridge.
Speaking on the video, the captain said: ‘Due to this missile attack the (ship) was on fire; it was not a small fire, it was a huge fire.
‘I really thank Indian warship INS Visakhapatnam, they have done a really tremendous job. We had actually lost hope that we would be able to fight this fire but these guys were really tough.
‘Hats off to the Indian Navy. I really appreciate the other navies that were also there and also helped us.’
The Marlin Luanda flies under the flag of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. It is currently being leased by Singaporean multinational firm Trafigura from its owners, who MailOnline understand are based in Bermuda.
However, the management of the ship has been contracted out to a UK-based firm, Oceonix Services Ltd, which has an office in London, according to Companies House records.
In a statement issued at 12pm on Saturday – almost a day after the missile struck – Trafigura confirmed the fire had been extinguished and the Marlin Luanda was sailing towards a ‘safe harbour’.
A spokesperson for the firm said: ‘We are pleased to confirm that all crew on board the Marlin Luanda are safe and the fire in the cargo tank has been fully extinguished.
‘The vessel is now sailing towards a safe harbour. The crew continues to monitor the vessel and cargo closely.
‘We would like to recognise the exceptional dedication and bravery of the ship’s master and crew who managed to control the fire in highly difficult circumstances, as well as the essential assistance provided by Indian, United States and French Navy vessels to achieve this outcome.’
The firm added it had no other vessels in the Gulf of Aden, and it would ‘continue to assess carefully the risks involved in any voyage, including in respect of security and safety of the crew, together with shipowners and customers’.
The incident happened in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 50 nautical miles south-east of Aden in Yemen
Houthi rebels have been targeting ships they claim are affiliated with Israel in a show of solidarity with Palestine; intelligence bodies say they are sometimes acting on old information
Armed Houthi supporters stand near paintings depicting Houthi’s political council head Mahdi al-Mashat, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, at a street in Sana’a, Yemen, January 3
Attacks by Houthi rebels on container ships in the Red Sea are expected to cause ‘imminent’ price rises and have a knock-on effect on inflation and even mortgages, Brits have been warned. Pictured: A video showing the hijacking of a shipping vessel in November
Around 18 shipping companies – that would typically route their ships travelling from Asia to Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal – have re-routed their vessels south around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to avoid the threat posed by the Houthis in Yemen. This has resulted in an increase in costs, which experts say will likely be passed on to the consumer
A graph showing the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) – an index that measures the cost of shipping containers to from Asia to Europe – which in recent weeks has risen dramatically on account of the on-going attacks by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea
Iran-backed Houthi forces said they had carried out the strike on the ‘British oil ship’ as part of its continued action against Israel in and around the Red Sea, which is a vital global shipping route linking Europe and Asia.
It had earlier fired two missiles at the Marlin Luanda and another ship on Friday; the shells exploded in the water and caused no damage.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare’e said: ‘Yemeni Armed Forces persist with their military operations: enforcing a blockade on Israeli navigation in the Red and Arabian seas until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza, and food and medicine are allowed in to the besieged Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.’
It has since expanded the remit of its strikes to cover Israel allies such as the US and UK.
Following the strike, the UK Government said Britain and its allies ‘reserve the right to respond appropriately’.
A spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of reports that the M/V Marlin Luanda, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, has sustained damage from attack in the Gulf of Aden. Current reports suggest no casualties and nearby coalition vessels are on the scene.
‘We have been clear that any attacks on commercial shipping are completely unacceptable and that the UK and our allies reserve the right to respond appropriately.’
In the hours after the Marlin Luanda was struck, US forces hit back at the Houthis, striking an anti-ship missile they said had been ready to fire.
US military Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out the attack in the early hours of Saturday, destroying an ‘anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch’.
The Houthis’ Al-Masirah television said the United States and Britain launched two air strikes on the port of Ras Issa in Yemen’s Hodeidah province, which hosts the country’s main oil export terminal.
The US has relabelled the Houthis as a terrorist group in recent days after dropping the classification shortly after President Joe Biden entered office.
Yemeni rebels’ continued attacks on merchant ships in and around the Red Sea pose a threat to global trade; some transport firms, including Maersk, say they will not send ships through the route that includes the Suez Canal.
Instead, many boats are taking the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in order to avoid Houthi patrols.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials have asked their counterparts in Iran to help rein in attacks on ships in the Red Sea or risk harming business relations with Beijing.
The Reuters news agency reported on Friday meetings between China and Iran have seen the subject of the Houthis raised several times amid concerns the attacks on ships could hamper Chinese trade.
The cost of shipping goods from Asia to Europe has exploded in recent weeks following the Houthi attacks – prompting alarm in Beijing.
‘Basically, China says: ‘If our interests are harmed in any way, it will impact our business with Tehran. So tell the Houthis to show restraint’,’ said one Iranian official briefed on the talks, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The US also raised the issue of Iran’s support for the Houthi rebels on Saturday; Beijing has told Washington it will raise the issue, according to a US official briefing the Reuters news agency.
The Marlin Luanda itself was heading for Singapore, in south-east Asia.
