An oil tanker is on fire after being struck off the coast of Yemen after Houthi threats in the key shipping route continued despite UK and US strikes.
The Houthis have claimed their naval forces carried out an operation targeting “the British oil tanker Marlin Luanda” in the Gulf of Aden, causing a fire to break out.
In a statement, the company which has offices in Britain, said firefighting equipment on board was being deployed to control the flames and the safety of the crew is its “foremost priority”.
The Houthis have repeatedly launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, endangering shipping on a key route for global trade.
The foreign secretary, David Cameron, is finishing a trip to the Middle East, in a diplomatic bid to reduce tensions as the Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues.
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