Sixty nautical miles south of Aden *** the tanker "Marlin Luanda" operated by UK registered company Oceonix Services Ltd was struck by an anti-ship missile causing structural damage and fire in a cargo hold. It had been making it's way through the Gulf of Aden towards the Red Sea and Suez canal. Hours later it was reported that all crew members were safe and unharmed and the fire had been extinguished.

Assistance From French, Indian And USA Naval Forces

The vessel received assistance from French, Indian and USA Naval forces and was now making it's way to an undisclosed port for damage assessment. Any repairs would be carried out and the vessel made seaworthy before setting sail on the original course.

Further Missile Attacks Prevented

Also today the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile at the US naval ship USS Carney. The missile did not reach it's intended target.

A further similar missile strike was prevented after being destroyed by US forces during launch preparations.

Houthis Now Also Attacking USA And UK Shipping

The Houthi rebels operating out of Western Yemen have declared retaliation against UK and USA strikes on their area of control. Strikes that were carried out in response to previous similar missile shipping attacks.

Indiscriminate Attacks

The group are known to be part funded, supplied and backed by Iran. The initial attacks on shipping passing through the Bab-al-Mandeb straight were claimed to be in support of Palestine with the current conflict with Israel in Gaza. However, many ships like the Marlin Luanda have no connection to Israel, yet have also been targeted. The vast majority of the missiles fired have been shot down by the increased naval presence in the area. Missile launching areas and other Houthi bases have been aggressively attacked to help prevent further action.

Long Way Round

During December 23 and January 24, several companies opted to avoid the Red Sea and Suez canal, choosing instead to take the much longer and more expensive route round Africa. This added 10 days to 2 weeks on the journey time and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel expense.

International military forces have ramped up patrols in the area, giving some shipping companies the confidence to once again use the shorter Red Sea route. That confidence will have been shaken today.

About The Author
Urian Udell
Chewells Contributor

Urian is passionate about carbon capture. He is a staunch believer in the continued use of oil... »

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