Trafigura, a commodity trading firm, is evaluating the safety implications of future trips in the Red Sea after a fire broke out aboard an oil tanker assaulted by the Houthi group in Yemen, the company said on Saturday, January 27.
In the continuing string of violent assaults on marine trade, the United States warship managed to shoot down the missile fired by Houthi rebels on Friday, January 26, but it also damaged Trafigura-owned oil tanker Marlin Luanda, resulting in a fire.
Risk Assessment by Trafigura
In a press release, Trafigura confirmed that none of their vessels were crossing the Gulf of Aden after the incident. "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," it stated.
According to Reuters, the Iranian-backed Houthi group in Yemen started launching waves of explosive drones and missiles at ships on November 19, 2023, in reaction to Israel's military operations in Gaza. As a result, some shipping companies have ceased transits through the Red Sea, which can be reached from the Gulf of Aden, and have taken much longer and more expensive routes around Africa.
The Houthis have mostly attacked ships carrying containers as they transit the Red Sea. It is still a popular route for gasoline tankers. One of the major exceptions is QatarEnergy, the world's second-largest producer of liquefied natural gas. Earlier this month, due to security concerns, they stopped shipping tankers across the Red Sea.
According to a statement from Trafigura, the crew of the Marlin Luanda spent several hours early on Saturday fighting a fire in one cargo tank on the starboard side of the vessel. The fire was put out, and the crew was declared safe the next day afternoon.
"The vessel is now sailing towards a safe harbour," Trafigura said, adding that the firefighting operation had received assistance from naval warships of the Indian, American, and French fleets.
A representative from Trafigura confirmed on Friday that the ship was transporting Russian naphtha that had been bought below the price limit in accordance with the G7 sanctions.
Amid the Red Sea Crisis
After Houthi assaults on shipping in recent weeks, US and British warplanes, ships, and submarines have launched hundreds of retaliation strikes throughout Yemen.
Central Command said that eight hours after the Marlin Luanda incident, the US destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile about to fire into the Red Sea. It warned that commercial ships and US Navy ships in the area were in immediate danger from the missile.
On Saturday, the Houthis' Al-Masira television reported two US and UK air raids on Yemen's key oil export facility, Ras Issa, as reported by Reuters. However, the Central Command did not confirm this attack.
