The fire on the Marlin Luanda tanker lasted for several hours after it was hit by a missile fired by Yemeni Houthis. The incident occurred in the Gulf of Aden. The crew was evacuated, and there are no reports of injuries. The vessel is now heading to the nearest port, the British tanker operator Trafigura said, according to the BBC.
The attack on the tanker occurred at the exit from the Red Sea on Saturday night. The fire started in one of the ship's cargo compartments, and firefighting equipment was used to localize it.
It is reported that the French, Indian and American navies, which were near the ship, helped to extinguish the fire.
The Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis said the attack was a response to British-American aggression.
Earlier, the combined forces of the United States and Britain launched a series of strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
The Houthis' actions in the Gulf of Aden have effectively blocked international shipping in the region, causing serious damage to world trade.
The UK authorities said on Saturday that attacks on commercial vessels are unacceptable, and London and its allies reserve the right to retaliate.
About 8 hours later, the US military destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed at the Red Sea and ready to launch, the command also said.
Bloomberg calls this incident the largest attack on an oil vessel.
According to Trafigura, it was carrying Russian-made oil products.
The Houthis claim that their actions are aimed at supporting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, against which Israel is waging a large-scale military campaign.
Initially, they claimed that they were only attacking ships that had any connection to Israel.
On January 11, the United States and Britain launched the first strikes on Houthi targets, after which they announced that they would now attack ships associated with these countries as well.