Houthi-Hit Oil Tanker Sounion Appears To Be Leaking Oil In The Red Sea

The Greek-owned oil tanker MV Sounion, recently attacked by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, is still burning and appears to be leaking oil in the Red Sea, according to the Pentagon.

The tanker carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil has become a major environmental and navigational threat.

The Sounion was hit by gunfire and projectiles while anchored off the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.

The attacks claimed by the Houthis in solidarity with the Palestinians in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas caused fire onboard the vessel, leaving it adrift.

All the 25 crew onboard the vessel were rescued by a French navy destroyer and transported to Djibouti.

The Houthis have warned to attack any assistance efforts aimed at salvaging the vessel.

Major General Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon Press Secretary, criticized the attacks as reckless acts of terrorism. The Pentagon has revealed that two tugs were dispatched to assist with the salvage operation but were threatened by the Houthis.

Ryder stated that the U.S. military forces are working with regional partners to reduce the environmental impact, but no specific measures have been disclosed to tackle the fire onboard the vessel and the oil leak.

#BREAKING

The crew of the #Sounion tanker released videos of the moments after the USV attack and the #Yemen missile hit the vessel. Missile and USV attacks resulted in the ship’s engine failure and the crew had to call for help from the #EuropeanUnion fleet and eventually… pic.twitter.com/hv05s3x2aG

— 𝕏 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 (@cheguwera) August 27, 2024

Video Credits: 𝕏 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬/X

The possibility of an oil spill from the Sounion raises concerns about an environmental catastrophe similar to or exceeding previous incidents, such as the 1979 Atlantic Empress spill, which released 287,000 metric tons of oil.

The U.S. State Department has expressed concern about the possibility of a spill as severe as the 1989 Exxon Valdez tragedy, which released 257,000 barrels of oil off Alaska’s coast.

Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Moammar Al-Eryani, has warned that an oil spill will severely impact the country’s coastal communities, desalination plants and fisheries.

Moammar highlighted the risk of a prolonged recovery time similar to the predictions of the FSO Safer incident, which could cost billions and severely impact shipping.

Reference: Reuters, BBC

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