A Greek-flagged oil tanker carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude that was evacuated by its crew after being attacked in the Red Sea now poses an environmental hazard, the EU’s Red Sea naval mission “Aspides” said on Thursday.
Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, said on Thursday that they attacked the Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea, as the Iran-aligned group has been attacking ships in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“The vessel belongs to a company that has ties with the Israeli enemy and violated the ban decision of entry to the ports of occupied Palestine,” the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised speech.
The vessel was targeted on Wednesday by multiple projectiles off Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.
“Carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil, the MV SOUNION now represents a navigational and environmental hazard,” Aspides said in a post on social media platform X.
It was the third vessel operated by the Athens-based company to be attacked in the Red Sea this month. The attack caused a fire onboard, which the crew extinguished,” the company said in a statement.
The attack led to the loss of engine power, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Wednesday. On Thursday, UKMTO said the vessel was at anchor and all its crew evacuated.
The vessel was now anchored between Yemen and Eritrea, a maritime security source told Reuters.
The company said it was working on a plan to move the vessel to a safer destination for further checks and repairs.
The EU Red Sea naval mission said it responded to a request from the captain of the vessel and dispatched a ship to rescue the crew to Djibouti, the Aspides said.
“While approaching the area, the EUNAVFOR ASPIDES ship destroyed an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) that posed an imminent threat to the ship and the crew,” Aspides added.
The Greek shipping ministry said the vessel was sailing from Iraq to Agioi Theodoroi in Greece with a crew of two Russians and 23 Filipinos.
In dozens of attacks in the Red Sea since November, the Houthis have sunk two vessels and seized another, killed at least three sailors and upended global trade by forcing ship owners to avoid the popular Suez Canal trade shortcut.
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Source: Reuters
