A Liberia-flagged oil tanker was assessing damage and investigating a potential oil spill after being attacked by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea, according to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), reports Reuters.
Oil spill incident
An unmanned watercraft inflicted minor damage to the tanker’s port side on Monday as part of a swarm of attacks by the Houthis on the vessel and another ship sailing approximately 100 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.
“While originally headed south, following the attack the vessel turned around and headed back north out of the threat area to further assess damage and investigate potential oil spillage,” the JMIC said in a statement. The captain and crew were reported safe.
The manager of the tanker did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Yemen’s Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting the two vessels with ballistic missiles, drones, and booby-trapped boats. The attacks were in retaliation for the deadly Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Saturday.
Since November, Houthi attacks have economically impacted global trade by forcing ship owners to reroute vessels away from the Suez Canal shortcut and toward the longer, more expensive route around Africa. These attacks also pose environmental risks from spilled cargo, such as oil and fertilizer, as well as the fuel used to power vessels.
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Source: Reuters
