Indian Navy responds to SOS call from merchant ship in Gulf of Aden after being hit by Houthi anti-ship missile

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam — deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations — responded to a distress call from MV Marlin Luanda on the night of January 26 after it was struck by a Houthi anti-ship missile that caused a fire onboard the ship.
The MV crew comprises 22 Indians and 1 Bangladeshi, the Indian Navy said on Saturday.
The tanker is carrying Russian naphtha, a component of crude oil.
Based on the request from MV Marlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam deployed a team along with firefighting equipment to help the crew augment firefighting efforts onboard the distressed MV, the Navy said.
“All crew on board the Marlin Luanda are safe and the fire in the cargo tank has been fully extinguished. The vessel is now sailing towards a safe harbor,” commodities trader Trafigura said in a statement, according to a report by Reuters.— Indian Navy (@indiannavy)

Over the past few weeks, Yemen-based Houthi rebels have been behind a series of drone and missile attacks on merchant ships in the Arabian Sea region.
The incident comes just days after INS Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call by Marshall Island flagged MV Genco Picardy following a drone attack on January 17.
Indian Naval specialists from INS Visakhapatnam boarded the vessel to inspect the damaged area. MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew (9 Indians) reported nil casualties and a fire was brought under control

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