Fire onboard merchant vessel Marlin Luanda brought under control by Indian Navy
Jan 27, 2024
New Delhi [India], January 27 : The firefighting team of the Indian Navy warship, INS Visakhapatnam successfully brought the fire onboard the merchant vessel Marlin Luanda under control on Saturday. 
The crew of the guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam was accompanied by the crew of the MV to bring the blaze under control. The team is currently monitoring the situation to rule out any possibility of reignition. The visuals shared by the Indian Navy showed firefighters making efforts to control the fire on board the merchant vessel.
The firefighting team from INS Visakhapatnam comprising 10 Indian Naval personnel with specialist firefighting equipment embarked on the vessel in the early hours of Saturday. The INS Vishakhapatnam deployed in the Gulf of Aden responded to a distress call from MV Merlin Luanda and proceeded to provide assistance.
According to the Indian Navy, a US and French warship also responded to the distress call from MV Marlin Luanda. Indian Navy said that it remains steadfast in its commitment towards safety of merchant shippers and seafarers.
In a post on X, the Indian Navy spokesperson stated, "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 hours of battling the fire along with the crew of the MV, the fire fighting team has successfully brought the fire under control."
"The team is currently monitoring the situation to rule out any possibility of reignition. #INSVisakhapatnam had responded to distress call from MV #MarlinLuanda & proceeded to provide assistance. A US & French warship also responded to the distress call. #IndianNavy remains steadfast in her commitment towards safety of merchant shipping & seafarers," it added.
Captain Avinash Rawat, the Captain of the merchant vessel, praised the Indian Navy for fighting fire on his vessel after it was hit by a missile.
He said, "Half of the world knows that yesterday (January 26) we were struck by a missile in Gulf of Aden. Due to this missile attack, the vessel was on fire and it was not a small fire. It was a huge fire. It's a loaded tanker...people know what happens if a tanker goes on fire...a tanker fire. So, I really thank the Indian warship, INS Visakhapatnam. They have done a really tremendous job. We had actually lost the hope that we won't be able to fight this fire but these guys were really tough. They have done a tremendous job. Hats off to Indian Navy who said we will come onboard with our expert firefighters and we will try to help you guys to fight the fire. So, I really appreciate the other navies who also helped us. The Indian navy went out of the way with its specialised team to help them."
The MV has 22 Indian and 01 Bangladeshi crew onboard, according to the Indian Navy. Earlier, Indian Navy had said that INS Visakhapatnam had deployed the Ship's NBCD team along with firefighting equipment to provide assistance to the crew towards augmenting firefighting efforts onboard the distressed MV Merlin Luanda.
In a post on X, the Indian Navy spokesperson stated, "#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 firefighting equipment, deployed by #INSVisakhapatnam to assist the crew onboard the MV. The MV has 22 #Indian & 01 Bangladeshi crew onboard. #IndianNavy remains steadfast & committed towards safeguarding MVs & ensuring safety of life at sea.."
Meanwhile, the US Central Command stated that Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and hit the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda.
In a post on X, US Central Command stated, "Houthis Strike M/V Marlin Luanda Operating in the Gulf of Aden. On Jan. 26, at approximately 7:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda. The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance. No injuries have been reported at this time," it added.
