A Greek oil tanker was repeatedly attacked in the Red Sea on Wednesday, August 21 leaving the vessel abandoned and drifting ablaze. The attack was suspected to have been carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The attack comes during an extensive campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion in cargo typically annually passes.
In the brutal attack, a crew of men on small boats first opened fire with small arms. Four projectiles then hit the ship leaving the blazing vessel adrift.
“The vessel reports being not under command,” the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) said.
The vessel was later identified as the tanker Sounion, which had 25 crew members on board as it traveled from Iraq to Cyprus. There were no reports of crew injuries or casualties.
The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.
The last three recent attacks have all targeted vessels associated with Greek company Delta Tankers.
Shipping and Island Policy Minister Christos Stylianides condemned the attack, describing the incident as “a flagrant violation of the rules of international law and a serious threat to the security of international shipping.”
“Such actions endanger the lives of seafarers and disrupt the free movement of goods through critical maritime corridors,” Mr Stylianides added.
Sounion was confirmed to have been striked with missiles from two small boats while sailing 72 n.m. west of Hodeidah Yemen, in the Red Sea.
The damaged ship remains at the aforementioned site.
Source: Ekathimerini.
