Oil Tanker On Fire After Being Hit by Houthi Missile Hours Before Attack on U.S Navy Ship

A British Oil Tanker caught fire in the Gulf of Aden after being hit by a Houthi Missile, hours before the Group launched an attack on U.S. Navy Ship USS Carney.

The tanker Marlin Luanda, owned by Oceanic Services, was struck on Friday while crossing the Red Sea. Maritime Organisations in the U.K. said they received a report of a vessel that had caught fire and was requesting help 60 nautical miles south of Aden Port, Yemen.

Per reports, the tanker crew used firefighting equipment to stop the fire from spreading and contain it in a cargo tank on the starboard side.

Yahya Sarea, a military spokesperson of the Houthis, confirmed targeting the vessel with naval missiles. In a video statement, he mentioned that they will continue their operations and enforce a blockade on Israeli navigation in the Red and the Arabian Seas until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza and food and medicine reaches the Palestinians.

This was the second Houthi attack against commercial tankers on Friday. Earlier in the day, Marlin Luanda reported a loud explosion in the air from a projectile that had missed its target.

Houthis have vowed to target U.S. and British Ships after the two nations launched air and naval strikes in Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen.

On Friday morning, the U.S. Central Command confirmed that Houthis also attacked a U.S. Navy Ship in the Red Sea.

At 1:30 p.m., Sanaa time (5:30 a.m. EST), Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen towards an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden. However, the missile was shot down, and there were no injuries or damage.

This is the first instance where Houthis have targeted a U.S. military Ship than a commercial vessel. This incident could prove catastrophic and lead to a full-blown war in the Middle East.

The attacks came a day after the U.S. and U.K. declared formal sanctions targeted at 4 Houthi leaders.

References: USNI.org, ABC News

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Source: Maritime Shipping News