The Indian Navy on Saturday announced that INS Visakhapatnam, which is a guided missile destroyer, responded to a distress call from MV Marlin Luanda on the night of Republic Day.
The missile destroyers have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden and are assisting in firefighting efforts onboard. The MV has 22 Indian and 01 Bangladeshi crew onboard, the Indian Navy said.
#IndianNavy's Guided missile destroyer, #INSVisakhapatnam, deployed in the #GulfofAden responded to a distress call from MV #MarlinLuanda on the night of #26Jan 24.The fire fighting efforts onboard the distressed Merchant Vessel is being augmented by the NBCD team along with… pic.twitter.com/meocASF2Lo— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 27, 2024
Based on the request from the MV Merlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam has deployed the Ship’s NBCD team along with firefighting equipment to assist the crew towards augmenting firefighting efforts onboard the distressed MV.
US Central Command has confirmed a missile attack by the Houthis and an alleged distress message by the ship’s captain is doing rounds on social media.
“Yemeni naval forces carried out a targeting operation on the British oil ship Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, using several appropriate naval missiles. The strike was direct, and resulted [in] the burning of the vessel,” Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Friday.
Sources have informed CNN-News18 that the UK tanker’s crew has initiated firefighting using a fixed foam system and inert gas. They have reported that the crew members remain safely on board.
According to the onboard crew, they have sought the assistance of firefighting experts.
Earlier reports suggested that the crew had abandoned the ship due to the hazardous nature of the cargo and its potential consequences. However, reliable sources have confirmed that this has not occurred yet, and the crew is still actively trying to extinguish a fire on the ship.
(With inputs from Akash Sharma)
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