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Marlin Luanda missile strike

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Marlin Luanda
History
Name
  • Navig8 Pride LHJ (2018–2022)
  • Marlin Luanda (2022–2024)
  • Boccadasse (from 2024)
Owner
  • Ocean Yi Shipping (2018–2022)
  • Polar 18 Ltd (from 2022)
Operator
  • Navig8 Asia (2018–2022)
  • Oceonix, and Suntech Maritime (from 2022)
Port of registryMarshall Islands
BuilderNew 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.

Marlin Luanda

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The Marlin Luanda was an oil tanker built in 2018 at the New Times Shipyards in Taizhou, China. The ship was built as the Marshall Islands-registered Navig8 Pride LHJ for Ocean Yi Shipping of Hong Kong and managed by Navig8 Asia Pte Ltd. In February 2022, the ship was sold to Polar 18 Ltd and renamed Marlin Luanda; it was operated by UK-based Oceonix Services, with ship management by Suntech Maritime of Singapore. When attacked, the tanker was under charter to Trafigura, a commodity trading company, also based in Singapore.[1][2][3][4]

After the incident, in April 2024, the ship was renamed Boccadasse, without change of ownership, management, or national register.[1]

Missile strike

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Despite the instigation in November 2023 of Houthi attacks on merchant ships, by January 2024 most oil tankers had continued traversing the Red Sea, with the significant exception of QatarEnergy.[5][6] While sailing to Singapore from Egypt[7] the tanker, carrying Russian naphtha purchased below the price cap,[8] was struck by an anti-ship missile fired 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.[9] The strike caused a fire in one of the ship's starboard cargo tanks, and the crew deployed firefighting equipment to combat it.[10][11] Early reports suggested the crew had abandoned the vessel, but this was later confirmed to be false.[12]

Following the strike, the USS Carney set sail towards the stricken vessel; it was also targeted by a Houthi missile. According to an anonymous US official, this was the first time the Houthis had directly targeted a US military vessel since the crisis began.[13][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.[14] 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.[5][15] 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.[16]

The Houthis stated that the vessel was British and was targeted in response to "American-British aggression against our country".[4][15]

Aftermath

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Trafigura announced that it was assessing the risk of further voyages through the Red Sea following the strikes, while the tanker Free Spirit carrying crude oil, avoided entering the Gulf of Aden shortly after the strike by reversing its track.[5][6] On 30 January 2024, the Houthis launched an unsuccessful attack on a second ship operated by Oceonix, the container ship Koi, chartered to CMA CGM.[17]

In July 2024 the International Maritime Organization decided to recognize the "extraordinary courage, determination and endurance demonstrated while coordinating firefighting and damage control efforts to combat the fire" by Captain Avhilash Rawat and the crew of Marlin Luanda, with the IMO 2024 Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Boccadasse (9829899)". Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  2. ^ "Marlin Luanda". Shipatlas/Maritime Optima. Oslo. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Our fleet". suntech-maritime.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c "Trafigura assesses Red Sea risks after tanker attacked by Houthis". Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Yemen's Houthi rebels escalate Red Sea attacks, hit Trafigura fuel tanker". Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Oil tanker Marlin Luanda catches fire in Red Sea after missile attack by Yemen's Houthi fighters". Sky News. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Yemen's Houthi rebels escalate Red Sea attacks, hit Trafigura fuel tanker". saltwire.com. SaltWire. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Oil tanker on fire after Houthi missile attack, firm says". 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  11. ^ Ambrose, Tom (27 January 2024). "UK 'reserves right to respond' after oil tanker set alight off Yemen". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  12. ^ "'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.
  13. ^ Gambrell, Jon and Corp, Tara (27 January 2024). "Houthi rebels fire at US warship, set oil tanker alight as Red Sea attacks escalate". WAtoday. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Statement re Marlin Luanda". trafigura.com. Trafigura. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  15. ^ a b Sigsworth, Tim (27 January 2024). "British-linked tanker on fire after Houthi missile attack". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  16. ^ Blenkey, Nick (27 January 2024). "Fire on Marlin Luanda extinguished after 6 hour battle". MarineLog. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Houthis fire missiles at another ship managed by Oceonix Services". Marine Log. New York. 1 February 2024. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Bravery Awards for tanker and tugboat crews". London: International Maritime Organization. 10 July 2024. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
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