The British government said the UK and its allies “reserve the right to respond as appropriate” after an oil tanker crashed and burst into flames off the coast of Yemen.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed that the country's navy carried out an operation in the Gulf of Aden targeting a ship they called the British oil tanker Merlin Luanda. Shipping data suggests the ship is operating under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saleh said in a statement that they “used appropriate naval missiles and it was a direct attack.”
Commodity group Trafigura said the ship was operated on its behalf.
The company, which has offices in the UK, said onboard firefighting equipment was in place to control the blaze and the safety of the crew was its “top priority”.
A Trafigura spokesperson said: “Early on the morning of January 26, the petroleum product tanker vessel Merlin Luanda, operating on behalf of Trafigura, was hit by a missile while transiting the Red Sea.
“Onboard fire extinguishing equipment is in place to extinguish and control the fire that occurred in one of the starboard cargo tanks. The safety of our crew is our top priority.
“We continue to be in contact with the vessel and closely monitoring the situation. Warships in the area are en route to provide assistance.”
A British government spokesperson said: “We are aware of reports that the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker M/V Merlin Luanda has been damaged in an attack in the Gulf of Aden.Current reports indicate that there have been no casualties and that Allied ships are on the scene.
“We are clear that any attack on commercial shipping is completely unacceptable and the UK and our allies reserve the right to respond as appropriate.”
A Trafigura spokesperson said the tanker was loaded with Russian naphtha, which had been purchased below price caps in line with G7 sanctions.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Free Spirit, chartered by Vitol to transport crude oil, made a U-turn before arriving in the Gulf of Aden shortly after the attack on the Marlin Luanda, according to LSEG data.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea since November over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
But they frequently target ships with weak or unclear connections to Israel, endangering shipping along vital routes for global trade.
In addition to numerous airstrikes against key Houthi targets, Britain and the United States have also imposed sanctions on key figures in the Iran-backed militant group.
A second British and American airstrike earlier in the week appeared to have had little effect on deterring the Houthis.
Earlier on Friday, the Prime Minister's spokesperson said: [the Houthis] Refrain from such behavior. It is clear that this is illegal and unacceptable. ”
Foreign Secretary David Cameron is coming to the end of a visit to the Middle East, with the diplomatic aim of easing tensions as Israel continues to bomb Gaza.
PA Media contributed to this report
