Dubai: The Greek-flagged crude oil tanker Sounion has been on fire in the Red Sea since Aug 23 after an attack by Yemen’s Houthis with no obvious signs of an oil spill, EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides said in a post on X on Monday.

The EU mission published photos dated on Sunday showing fire and smoke coming out of the vessel’s main deck. This news agency has verified the authenticity of a Houthi video of a fiery assault on the ship.

The Sounion is carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil and poses an environmental hazard, shipping officials said. Aspides said part of Sounion’s superstructure was on fire and that flames were observed in at least five locations on the vessel’s main deck. If a spill occurs, it has the potential to be among the largest from a ship in recorded history.

The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, have been attacking ships in solidarity with Palestinians. The Iran-aligned rebels have sunk two ships and killed at least three crew in their 10-month campaign that has upended global ocean shipping by forcing vessel owners to avoid the Suez Canal shortcut.

The vessel adrift in Red Sea is carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude

The Sounion is the third vessel operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers to come under Houthi attack this month. The militants said Delta Tankers had violated their ban on “entry to the ports of occupied Palestine”.

Satellite imagery captured by European Space Agencys Copernicus Satellite 2 showed smoke visible at sea in the vicinity where Sounion was last detected.

This news agency was able to locate the image from matching the last location for Sounion seen from LSEG ship tracker.

British and US forces have been destroying Houthi drones and missile launch sites, but analysts say the attacks are unlikely to stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024