Tanker under Greek flag experiences fire following Houthi assault in the Red Sea, reports maritime authority.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, managing Yemen's most inhabited regions, declared on Thursday that they had assaulted the Sounion oil tanker as part of their 10-month crusade against commercial shipping, supporting Palestinians in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Initially, the Houthis targeted the tanker on Wednesday, launching continuous attacks that resulted in a blaze and loss of engine power. Subsequently, a European warship saved the vessel's crew of 25. A naval security source from Reuters revealed that the uncrewed ship was moored between Yemen and Eritrea on Thursday.
On Friday, UKMTO disclosed in an advisory that it had received reports of three fires on the vessel, which was reportedly drifting due to the situation. Later on, the Houthis posted a video on social media suggesting they had ignited the tanker.
The harmed tanker, holding 150,000 metric tons of crude oil, poses an environmental risk, as per the EU’s Red Sea naval mission Aspides.
“A potential discharge could bring about disastrous consequences for the region’s marine environment,” the Djibouti Ports & Free Zones Authority stated in a post on the X social media platform on Friday.
The largest ship-induced spill was in 1979, when roughly 287,000 tons of oil leaked from the Atlantic Empress after colliding with another crude carrier in the Caribbean Sea close to Tobago during a storm, according to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation.
The Sounion was the third vessel under attack by Houthis this month, belonging to Athens-based Delta Tankers.
The Houthis declared attacking the tanker partly due to Delta Tankers violating its restriction on “entry to the ports of occupied Palestine,” as stated by Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree during a televised speech.
“Delta Tankers is making all possible efforts to move the vessel (and cargo). Due to security concerns, we are unable to provide additional comments,” Delta Tankers said in a statement released on Friday.
The Middle East, being a global hotspot of geopolitical tensions, has seen the Houthis, a group from Yemen, targeting commercial shipping like the Sounion tanker. This incident has raised concerns in the international community, as potential oil spills from such incidents pose a significant threat to the world's marine environment.
