Oil tanker on fire and drifting in the Red Sea after multiple attacks
A Greek-flagged oil tanker is adrift in the Red Sea after a series of attacks, British and Greek authorities say.
The Sounion was the first ship to be hit by fire from two small boats that approached the vessel early Wednesday morning, about 77 nautical miles (143km) west of the Yemeni port of Hudaydah, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO).
The ship was then hit by three unidentified objects, causing a fire on board and causing the ship to lose engine power, the company said. There were no reports of injuries among the 25 crew members.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which Greece’s maritime minister condemned as a blatant violation of international law.
However, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.
The Houthis say they are acting in support of Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They have claimed – often falsely – that they target ships linked only to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom.
They have not been deterred by the deployment of Western warships to protect merchant shipping or by US and British air strikes on territory they control in northwestern Yemen. Israel also bombed the port of Hudaydah last month in retaliation for a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv.
The Sounion, a 274m long and 50m wide “Suezmax” tanker, was transporting crude oil from the Iraqi port of Basra when it was attacked.
The Greek ship’s operator, Delta Tankers, said the vessel suffered only “minor” damage and the crew was assessing the situation before continuing its journey.
Also on Wednesday, the Panama-flagged cargo ship SW North Wind I reported three explosions in nearby waters as it passed through the Gulf of Aden, UKMTO said.
The statement added that the crew was safe after the incident, which occurred 57 nautical miles south of the Yemeni city of Aden, and that the ship was en route to its next port.
In June, the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned cargo ship Tutor sank and one crew member died after Houthi militants attacked the vessel with a drone in the Red Sea.
