Oil tanker burns after latest attack in Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels

Firefighters are struggling to control a blaze aboard a Greek-flagged tanker and oil appears to be leaking into the Red Sea after the vessel was attacked last week by Iran-backed Houthi rebels who are attempting to restrict maritime traffic through the area, Defense Department officials said Tuesday.

The MV Sounion was hauling about 1 million barrels of crude oil on August 23 when it was approached by several skiffs off the coast of Yemen that launched at least three projectiles. The attack caused a loss of propulsion and ignited multiple fires aboard the ship.

“The crew has since evacuated the ship with the assistance of a partner nation’s vessel,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman. The stricken ship has no power, presenting both a navigational hazard in the region and a potential environmental danger as well, officials said.

The Houthis claim their attacks on commercial ships operating in the Red Sea are in support of Palestinians fighting against Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip, a claim U.S. officials dismiss.

“These are simply reckless acts of terrorism which continue to destabilize global and regional commerce, put the lives of innocent civilian mariners at risk, and imperil a vibrant maritime ecosystem in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” Gen. Ryder said.

A seagoing tugboat approached the MV Sounion to assess the damage from the explosion and the fires. But, it was warned away by Houthi officials. Their tactics have caused several shipping companies to take the long way around Africa rather than pass through the gauntlet of Houthi rebels drones and missile strikes.

The captain of the MV Sounion did not ask for protection from Operation Aspides, the European Union’s naval task force also protecting ships passing through the Red Sea. But EU commanders dispatched a vessel to rescue the crew after it came under attack and lost engine power.

“While approaching the area, the [Operation Aspides] ship destroyed an unmanned surface vessel that posed an imminent threat to the ship and the crew,” European Union officials said. “All on board the MV Sounion were subsequently rescued and are being transported to Djibouti, the nearest safe port of call.”

U.S. Central Command is monitoring the unfolding situation in the Red Sea and coordinating with other partners to determine how best to assist the ship and avoid an environmental catastrophe, officials said.