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Houthi rebels in Yemen on Friday fired a missile that set fire to a ship carrying oil products for the commodities trader Trafigura, as the Iran-backed militants stepped up their attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
The Houthi attack on the Marlin Luanda, a petroleum products tanker in the Gulf of Aden, was the first to hit a commercial vessel since the US and UK combined on a second set of strikes against the militants, who have caused major disruption to global trade by targeting a critical route.
The Houthis earlier on Friday fired an anti-ship ballistic missile at the USS Carney, a US navy vessel in the Gulf of Aden. US Central Command said the Carney had successfully shot the missile down.
A statement by Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ spokesman, said the group had targeted the Marlin Luanda, which it described as a “British oil ship”, although it was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.
The attack appears to have been the most damaging so far of the 30-plus attempted by the Houthis against commercial ships since November. Most have caused only minor damage or small, quickly extinguished fires.
Trafigura, a leading commodities trader, said the Marlin Luanda had been “struck by a missile”.
“Firefighting equipment on board is being deployed to suppress and control the fire caused in one cargo tank on the starboard side,” the Geneva-based company said.
“We remain in contact with the vessel and are monitoring the situation carefully. Military ships in the region are under way to provide assistance.”
The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza after Israel in October declared war on Hamas, the militant group which controlled the enclave.
The Yemeni rebels originally said they were only targeting vessels linked to Israel, although many of those affected had no apparent link to the Jewish state.
The Houthis have since extended their target list to include ships linked to the US and UK.
Attacks on vessels off Yemen’s coast have prompted many shipping companies to flee the region.
Arrivals of container ships in the area in recent weeks have been 90 per cent down on levels in early November, according to Clarksons, a shipping services group.
Most are instead taking a longer route round the Cape of Good Hope, which has significantly increased journey times and costs.
On Wednesday, the Houthis fired at least three missiles towards two US-flagged container ships, the Maersk Detroit and Maersk Chesapeake, as they were heading through the Bab-el-Mandeb, at the mouth of the Red Sea.
The vessels, part of a fleet of 20 US-flagged vessels carrying almost exclusively US government cargo, were accompanied by the USS Gravely, a US naval ship. The Gravely shot down two of the missiles, while another fell into the sea.
Maersk, the world’s second largest container shipping line, said it would no longer send its US-flagged fleet through the area. The Copenhagen-based company’s other vessels have been travelling via the Cape of Good Hope since December.
The combined US and UK attacks on Monday against the Houthis were aimed at curtailing the group’s efforts to disrupt shipping through the Red Sea, and involved hitting eight locations in Yemen.
The US and the UK first combined on strikes against the Houthis earlier in the month.