DUBAI (Reuters): Commodities trader Trafigura said it was assessing the security risks of further Red Sea voyages after firefighters put out a blaze on a tanker attacked by Yemen’s Houthi group a day earlier.
The U.S. military said a U.S. Navy ship and other vessels provided assistance after the Marlin Luanda was hit by a Houthi anti-ship missile.
“No further vessels operating on behalf of Trafigura are currently transiting the Gulf of Aden and we continue to assess carefully the risks involved in any voyage, including in respect of security and safety of the crew, together with shipowners and customers,” a Trafigura statement said.
Some shipping companies have suspended transits through the Red Sea, which is accessed from the Gulf of Aden, and taken much longer, costlier journeys around Africa to avoid being attacked by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi group, which began launching waves of exploding drones and missiles at vessels on Nov. 19 in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
The Houthi attacks have primarily targeted container vessels moving through the Red Sea. Many fuel tankers have kept using the route.
A notable exception is QatarEnergy, the world’s second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which earlier this month stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea, citing security concerns.
Over several hours early on Saturday the Marlin Luanda’s crew battled a blaze in one cargo tank on the vessel’s starboard side, Trafigura’s said in a statement.
By Saturday afternoon, the blaze was extinguished and all crew were safe, Trafigura said.
“The vessel is now sailing towards a safe harbour,” Trafigura said, adding that the firefighting effort had been supported by Indian, U.S. and French navy vessels.
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