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Marlin Luanda, owned by Singaporean company Trafigura Group, was heading to the Red Sea. The missile hit as the ship crossed the Gulf of Aden.
The tanker was transporting Russian petroleum products for the production of plastics and gasoline, a representative of the oil trader said.
No one was killed in the accident.
According to Marine Traffic, the Marshall Islands-flagged Marlin Luanda was en route from Greece to Singapore. It was scheduled to arrive at its destination on February 8th.
This is the largest Houthi attack on an oil tanker to date. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saria also confirmed the attack.
This is the second time that a ship carrying Russian oil has come under attack from the Houthis. On January 13, a Panamanian-flagged tanker was attacked. The rocket fell into the water, but the ship was not damaged. It was reported that the Houthis attacked it accidentally, relying on outdated information that it belonged to the British company Union Maritime.
Muhammad al-Buheiti, a representative of the Ansar Allah group, said there was “no danger” to Russian ships in the region and expressed readiness to ensure their safety.
Since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian extremist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Islamist Houthi fighters have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea.
A British oil tanker reportedly caught fire after a rocket attack by militants on Friday. The Houthis justify the attacks with solidarity with “Hamas”. The attacks are directed from the coast of Yemen against ships that may be linked to Israel.
One of the most important shipping routes for world trade runs along the coast of Yemen, where cargo ships from the Indian Ocean and other countries around the world enter the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal in Egypt.
US and British forces launched the first attacks against Houthi rebels earlier this month. The US then launched new airstrikes against Houthi missiles that threatened civilian ships and warships.
The Houthis have vowed to continue attacking ships.
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