Understand who the Houthi rebels are
“The attack was direct,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement.
After the attack, multinational commodities trading company Trafigura reported that the ship was operating on behalf of the company. In a statement, they reported that firefighting equipment was being used.
“The safety of the crew is our top priority. We continue to be in contact with the ship and are closely monitoring the situation. Military ships in the area are underway to provide assistance,” the company said.
Several images of the British oil tanker Marlin Luanda have been published on social media.
The British government had no comment on the attack until this article was last updated.
Since November, rebels have carried out attacks on ships sailing through the Red Sea to protest Israel's war against Hamas, one of its allies, in the Gaza Strip. In December, for example, a Norwegian ship was attacked by a missile off the coast of Yemen.
The group has vowed to continue attacks until Israel ends the conflict in Gaza and warned that they would attack U.S. warships if the militia group itself were targeted.
The Red Sea is home to the Suez Canal, the main link between Asia and Europe, and the shipping route encompassing the Red Sea and the canal is important to product supply chains around the world.
The United States Energy Agency (EIA) says the site is “essential to global energy security” and the supply of raw materials and goods.
1 of 1 Map shows the route ships take to reach the Suez Canal Photo: Kayan Albertin/g1 Map shows the route ships take to reach the Suez Canal Photo: Kayan Albertin/g1