Marlin Luanda missile strike

Last updated
Marlin Luanda
History
NameMarlin Luanda
Owner Suntech
Operator Trafigura
Port of registry Marshall Islands
Builder New Times Shipyard, China
Completed2018
Identification
General characteristics
Tonnage
  • 63,338  GT
  • 109,991  DWT
Length249.9 m (819 ft 11 in)
Beam44 m (144 ft 4 in)
Draft14.95 m (49 ft 1 in)

On 26 January 2024, during the Red Sea crisis, the fuel tanker Marlin Luanda was struck by an anti-ship missile fired by Houthi forces.

Contents

Marlin Luanda

The Marlin Luanda is an oil tanker built in 2018 at the New Times Shipyards in Taizhou, China. It is owned by Suntech Maritime and operated by Oceonix Services Ltd, a company domiciled in Britain, on behalf of Trafigura, a company domiciled in Singapore. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Missile strike

While sailing to Singapore from Egypt [5] the tanker, carrying Russian naphtha purchased below the price cap, [6] was struck by an anti-ship missile launched by Houthi rebels, as part of the Red Sea crisis. At the time it was approximately 110 kilometres (59 nmi; 68 mi) south-east of Aden. [7] The strike caused a fire in one of the ship's starboard cargo tanks, and the crew deployed firefighting equipment to combat it. [8] [9] Early reports suggested the crew had abandoned the vessel, but this was later confirmed to be false. [10]

Following the attack, the USS Carney set sail towards the stricken vessel; it was also targeted by a Houthi missile, but shot it down. According to an anonymous US official, this was the first time the Houthis had directly targeted a US military vessel since the crisis began. [11] [ dubious – discuss ]

On 27 January, Trafigura released a statement saying that the crew were unharmed, and that they continued to battle the fire with the aid of military vessels. [12] Later that day, Trafigura announced that the fire had been put out with the assistance of Indian, American, and French vessels and that the ship was heading towards a safe port. [13] [14] The USS Carney, French frigate Alsace and the Indian destroyer INS Visakhapatnam assisted. Ten Indian Navy sailors with specialist fire fighting equipment came aboard, and fought the fire with the Marlin Luanda crew of 22 Indians and one Bangladeshi for six hours. [15]

The Houthis stated that the vessel was British and was targeted in response to "American-British aggression against our country". [4] [14]

Aftermath

Trafigura announced that it was assessing the risk of further voyages through the Red Sea following the attacks, while the Free Spirit , a tanker carrying crude oil, did a u-turn to avoid entering the Gulf of Aden shortly after the attack. Prior to the attack most oil tankers had continued traversing through the Red Sea, with the significant exception of QatarEnergy. [16] [13]

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Carney</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Carney (DDG-64) is the 14th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. The guided-missile destroyer is the first to be named after Admiral Robert Carney, who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower administration.

USS <i>Mason</i> (DDG-87) American guided missile destroyer

USS Mason (DDG-87) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named in honor of the Black crewmembers who served on board USS Mason (DE-529) during the period of racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces.

INS <i>Kolkata</i> Destroyer in the Indian Navy

INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. Named after the Indian city of Kolkata, she was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and was handed over to the navy on 10 July 2014 after completing her sea trials. The ship was officially commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremony held on 16 August 2014.

IRIS <i>Alborz</i> (72) Iranian Alvand-class frigate

Alborz is an Alvand-class frigate, Vosper Mark V, of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. It was supplied to pre-revolutionary Iran's Imperial Iranian Navy by Great Britain, dates back to the time of the Shah of Iran, and was launched in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houthi movement</span> Islamist political and military organization in Yemen

The Houthi movement, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaidi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely from the Houthi tribe.

An anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) is a military ballistic missile system designed to hit a warship at sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yemeni Navy</span> Maritime component of the armed forces of Yemen

The Yemeni Navy and Coastal Defence Forces is the maritime component of the Yemeni Armed Forces. Yemen's navy was created in 1990 when North and South Yemen united.

INS <i>Visakhapatnam</i> (D66) Lead ship of the Visakhapatnam-class of stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy

INS Visakhapatnam is the lead ship and the first of the Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. The ship, commissioned on 21 November 2021, is one of the largest destroyers in service with the Indian Navy.

The following is a timeline of the Yemeni civil war, which began in September 2014.

Events in the year 2023 in Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Sea crisis</span> Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war

The Red Sea crisis is an ongoing battle and naval blockade that began on 19 October 2023 when the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen launched missiles and armed drones at Israel, demanding an end to the invasion of the Gaza Strip. The Houthis have since seized and launched aerial attacks against merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea, particularly those of Israel, the United States, and United Kingdom, drawing attacks on missile sites and other targets by U.S. and allied forces. The crisis is linked to the Israel–Hamas war, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict, the Iran–United States proxy conflict, and the Yemeni Crisis.

<i>Galaxy Leader</i> Ship built in 2002

Galaxy Leader is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier built in 2002 at Stocznia Gdynia in Gdynia, Poland. It is owned by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen and Ray Shipping, the latter a company partly owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar.

Events in the year 2024 in Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Prosperity Guardian</span> International military operation to protect Red Sea shipping

Operation Prosperity Guardian is a United States-led military operation by a multinational coalition formed in December 2023 to respond to Houthi-led attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Maersk Hangzhou is an H-class container ship operated by Maersk Line. It is Singapore-flagged and is owned by Moller Singapore Asia-Pacific, a subsidiary of the Maersk company. The ship was attacked by Houthi fighters during the Red Sea Crisis on 30 December 2023.

On 30 December 2023, Houthi forces in the Gulf of Aden attacked the Maersk commercial vessel Maersk Hangzhou. Early the next day, Houthis again attacked the Maersk Hangzhou, attempting to board the freighter. The Maersk Hangzhou made a distress signal, to which U.S. Navy forces of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and destroyer USS Gravely responded. The U.S., along with Maersk security personnel aboard the ship, repelled the attack. The U.S. sank three Houthi vessels, killing ten Houthis. Maersk announced a 48-hour pause on shipping through the Red Sea following the incident.

These are timelines of the Red Sea crisis, which began on 19 October 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 missile strikes in Yemen</span> Military strikes conducted by the US and UK against Yemeni Houthis

Since 12 January 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, have launched a series of cruise missile and airstrikes, codenamed Operation Poseidon Archer, against the Houthi movement in Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis had previously declared that their attacks are in support of Palestinians during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war; Houthi attacks on shipping were condemned by the United Nations Security Council the day before the initial strike.

MV <i>Rubymar</i> United Kingdom bulk carrier

MV Rubymar was a Belize-flagged Handymax-size bulk carrier cargo ship completed in 1997. She previously sailed under the names Ken Shin from 1997, Chatham Island from 2009, and Ikaria Island from 2020, before being renamed Rubymar. On 18 February 2024, the ship was struck by a Houthi anti-ship missile during the Red Sea crisis while carrying a cargo of fertilizer. After being adrift for weeks, the ship sank on 2 March as a result of the strike, becoming the first vessel lost due to a Houthi attack during the crisis.

MV True Confidence is a Barbados-flagged bulk carrier operated by Third January Maritime a Greek company and owned by True Confidence Shipping a Liberian shipping company. The vessel was attacked on 6 March 2024, causing the first civilian casualties of Houthi attacks on merchant shipping during the Red Sea crisis. At least three crew members of a cargo ship transiting the Red Sea were killed by a missile attack launched by Houthi rebels.

References

  1. ↑ "Ship Marlin Luanda (Oil Products Tanker) Registered in Marshall Is - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 9829899, MMSI 538007848, Call sign V7KT9". MarineTraffic.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Marlin Luanda - Tanker / Aframax (LR 2) / Epoxy - IMO 9829899". Marlin Luanda - Tanker / Aframax (LR 2) / Epoxy - IMO 9829899. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "Our fleet". suntech-maritime.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 Gregory, James (27 January 2024). "Houthis attack British-linked tanker Marlin Luanda in Gulf of Aden". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Gupta, Gaya (26 January 2024). "Houthi militants claim a hit on an oil tanker off Yemeni coast that set it on fire". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Oil tanker Marlin Luanda catches fire in Red Sea after missile attack by Yemen's Houthi fighters". Sky News. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Yemen's Houthi rebels escalate Red Sea attacks, hit Trafigura fuel tanker". saltwire.com. SaltWire. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Oil tanker on fire after Houthi missile attack, firm says". 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  9. ↑ Ambrose, Tom (27 January 2024). "UK 'reserves right to respond' after oil tanker set alight off Yemen". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "'We Are On Fire': Distress Message of UK Oil Tanker's Captain After Houthi Attack; Indian Navy Is Nearby". News18. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  11. ↑ Corp, Tara; Gambrell, Jon (27 January 2024). "Houthi rebels fire at US warship, set oil tanker alight as Red Sea attacks escalate". WAtoday. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Statement re Marlin Luanda". trafigura.com. Trafigura. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  13. 1 2 "Trafigura assesses Red Sea risks after tanker attacked by Houthis" . Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  14. 1 2 Sigsworth, Tim (27 January 2024). "British-linked tanker on fire after Houthi missile attack" . The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  15. ↑ Blenkey, Nick (27 January 2024). "Fire on Marlin Luanda extinguished after 6 hour battle". MarineLog. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Yemen's Houthi rebels escalate Red Sea attacks, hit Trafigura fuel tanker" . Retrieved 27 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.