An oil tanker under the Greek flag in the Red Sea was rocked by three fires following an attack by Yemeni Houthi militants, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Friday. Rescuers had already evacuated the vessel’s crew a day earlier after the Iran-aligned Houthis, who dominate Yemen’s populous regions, claimed responsibility for striking the Sounion tanker. These assaults formed part of their extended campaign targeting commercial shipping, ostensibly to support Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
The tanker suffered substantial damage starting Wednesday when the Houthis’ repeated offenses caused a fire and a loss of engine power. A European warship managed to rescue 25 crew members, leaving the incapacitated vessel anchored between Yemen and Eritrea, a maritime security source informed Reuters.
Amid these attacks, UKMTO notified on Friday that three separate fires were reported on the drifting ship. Houthis later released a video supposedly depicting them igniting the tanker, which is laden with 150,000 metric tons of crude oil, presenting a significant environmental risk. The EU’s Red Sea naval mission Aspides underscored the severe environmental threat posed by a potential spill, which could devastate the region’s marine ecology.
Historical precedents for such spills are grim; the largest recorded ship-source spill happened in 1979 when the Atlantic Empress leaked about 287,000 tonnes of oil after a collision off Tobago’s coast during a storm.
The Sounion is the third vessel from Athens-based Delta Tankers to face Houthi aggression within the month. The militant group justified its attack by accusing Delta Tankers of breaching their ban related to ports in “occupied Palestine.” In response, Delta Tankers asserted they are striving to relocate the tanker and its cargo but declined further comment for security reasons.
In conclusion, this incident propels the Red Sea conflict zone into sharper focus, as international and regional forces grapple with escalating maritime hostilities.
Original Story https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/24/fires-observed-on-board-greek-flagged-tanker-in-red-sea-says-maritime-agency.html
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