Aerial view of a ship at sea.
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Greek and British authorities said a Greek-flagged oil tanker became adrift in the Red Sea and burst into flames after being attacked off the coast of Yemen.
UK Maritime Trade Operators Wednesday report A fire breaks out on an oil tanker, the engine loses power and is no longer in “command”. Previously, two small boats were shot at about 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, which is controlled by the Houthi armed group. UKMTO did not name the vessel or perpetrators of the incident.
Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides later named the tanker Sounion and condemned the attack as a “blatant violation of the rules of international law and a serious threat to the safety of international navigation.” According to a statement from Google Translate.
The minister added that all 25 crew members on board were safe.
The vessel is part of the fleet of Greek operator Delta Tanker, which confirmed in an emailed statement that the Sounion suffered “minor damage” after being involved in a “hostile incident” in the Red Sea.
Delta Tankers said: “The crew and vessel are safe and uninjured. The vessel is currently drifting and the crew is assessing the damage before the vessel will continue its voyage.”
According to MarineTraffic data, the ship last docked at the Basra crude oil loading terminal in Iraq.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, although the Houthi faction has carried out a series of similar attacks on commercial ships citing solidarity with the Palestinian cause amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
The Yemeni group has previously claimed to only directly target ships owned by or linked to Israel, the United States or Britain, but has repeatedly attacked ships not affiliated with those countries.
The Houthi offensive has so far sunk at least two ships, disrupting a key trade route linking Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, with some ships choosing the longer Cape Horn route that could add up to 14 days to the voyage. time.
The disruptions did not lead to a pause in westbound shipping from the oil-rich Middle East or a long-term premium in oil futures prices.
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