Watch: Crew Extinguishes Onboard Fire After Tanker Hit By Houthi Missile Burned For Hours

In the Gulf of Aden on Saturday, the Indian Navy swiftly responded to a distress call from a commercial oil tanker that had 22 Indian crew members after it was hit by a missile on an important trade route that had seen several similar strikes in recent weeks. The Indian Navy was able to limit the fire on the vessel. In response to the Mayday signal issued Friday night by the Marshall Islands-flagged MV Marlin Luanda, the Indian Navy deployed INS Visakhapatnam, the guided missile destroyer, to aid the vessel.

Commander Vivek Madhwal, the Navy spokesperson, said in New Delhi that following six hours of fighting against the fire, along with the crew members of MV Marlin Luanda, the firefighting team of the Indian Navy successfully brought the blaze under control. The missile attack on the vessel, reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants, came amid rising concerns about the security scenario in the Red Sea and also the Gulf of Aden. Oceonix Services operates the ship, which is based in the UK. Since November, the Houthis have begun launching attacks on commercial vessels sailing in the Arabian Sea and its neighbouring waters, apparently in retaliation to Israel’s military war in Gaza.

Fire onboard MV #MarlinLuanda brought under control

Based on request from Master of the MV, the fire fighting team from #INSVisakhapatnam comprising 10 Indian Naval personnel with specialist fire fighting equipment embarked the vessel in early hours of #27Jan 24.
After six… https://t.co/d5yxgWI42Y pic.twitter.com/RsLPKOpXTU

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 27, 2024

Video Credits: Indian Navy/Twitter

INS Visakhapatnam responded to MV Marlin Luanda’s distress call and promptly offered assistance. According to Madhwal, a US and a French warship, he also answered the distress call. He stated that early on Saturday morning, a firefighting squad from INS Visakhapatnam, which comprises 10 Indian Navy members, embarked on the MV Marlin Luanda with specialized firefighting equipment. The expert Indian Naval firefighting team and the crew members of the MV Marlin Luanda contained the fire about six hours later. Per a Navy official, the crew has been monitoring the matter to rule out the possibility of “re-ignition”.

Indian Navy is steadfast in its dedication toward the safety of merchant shipping and seafarers, he stated. The Navy said earlier that the vessel INS Visakhapatnam, which contained 22 Indians and a Bangladeshi crew, had responded to the MV Marlin Luanda’s distress call. Based on a request by MV Marlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam reportedly deployed the nuclear, biological chemical defence and damage control (NBCD) team in addition to firefighting equipment to assist the crew in augmenting firefighting efforts on the MV, it stated.

The maritime situation in the critical sea lanes, such as the North and Central Arabian Sea, has driven the Navy to improve the deployments of its frontline vessels and surveillance aircraft to support maritime security operations.

Reference: MSN

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