An oil tanker is on fire in the Gulf of Aden, its operator says, after Houthis said they hit it with a missile.

The Yemeni movement said it targeted the Marlin Luanda on Friday evening.

Operator Trafigura told the BBC the strike caused a fire in one of the ship's cargo tanks and firefighting equipment was being used to contain it.

The US military said the Houthis hit the tanker with an anti-ship ballistic missile and naval ships had responded to its distress signal.

No injuries were reported, US Central Command said in a statement.

It is the latest attack on commercial shipping by the Iran-backed Houthis in and around the Red Sea. The group says it is targeting vessels in the region in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is fighting Hamas.

The US and UK have launched air strikes on Houthi targets in response, supported by a number of other countries.

In a statement, a Houthi spokesperson claimed the Marlin Luanda was a British ship and was targeted in response to "American-British aggression against our country".

The operator of the vessel is registered as being Oceonix Services Ltd, a UK registered company.

The tanker flies under the flag of the Marshall Islands and is operated by Trafigura - a multinational trading company domiciled in Singapore.

The UK government said attacks on commercial shipping are "completely unacceptable" and that Britain and its allies "reserve the right to respond appropriately".

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that the incident happened 60 nautical miles south-east of Aden.

It warned other vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

Later, the US Central Command said its forces had conducted a strike at 03:45 local time (00:45 GMT) Saturday "against a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch". They "destroyed the missile in self-defence", CentCom said.

Since November, the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels travelling through the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

(Source:BBC)