Product tanker struck by missile in the Gulf of Aden

The Marlin Luanda, a 110,000 dwt product tanker, was struck last night by a missile in the Gulf of Aden after transiting the Red Sea.

A significant fire was reported in one cargo tank on the starboard side with nearby US naval assets coming to assist the stricken ship.

The 2018-built ship is managed by a UK company called Oceonix Services, according to shipping database Equasis, and on charter to Trafigura.

Early reports suggest no crewmember was injured in the blast. The Marlin Luanda is the 40th ship to have been targeted by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen over the past three months.

It was laden with a cargo of naphtha when it was struck.