Angola’s state-owned oil giant, Sonangol, categorically refutes assertions that a ship attacked by Houthi fighters in the Gulf of Aden last week is affiliated with its fleet.
The vessel, associated with the United Kingdom, endured extensive flames last Friday in the Gulf of Aden, following a missile strike by the Houthis.
The Iran-backed faction, headquartered in Yemen, claimed responsibility for targeting the Marlin Luanda in response to “American-British aggression.”
Sonangol responded to Angolan media reports linking the Marlin Luanda to the company, stating, “Sonangol informs the public that the Marlin Luanda vessel, recently hit by a missile in the Red Sea, is not part of its fleet of company-owned or chartered vessels,” as conveyed in a statement accessible to local media.
Operated on behalf of Singapore-based commodity trader Trafigura, the Marlin Luanda bears the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Trafigura stands as a principal supplier of diesel and marine diesel to Angola and also holds a stake in Puma Energy, a company overseeing Pumangol petrol stations in Angola. Among the shareholders in Puma Energy is Sonangol.