Oil tanker drifts and catches fire after Red Sea attack

A Greek-flagged oil tanker is adrift and on fire in the Red Sea after being attacked off the coast of Yemen, Greek and British authorities said.

The UK’s maritime trade operations agency Reported A tanker caught fire, lost engine power and was no longer “under control” after two small boats opened fire on the tanker about 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, which is currently controlled by the Houthi armed group. The British Maritime Trade Organization did not name the ship or the perpetrators.

Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides later named the attacked ship 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 Google Translate’s statement.

The minister added that all 25 crew members on board were safe.

The Greek company Delta Tanker confirmed in an emailed statement that the Sounion had suffered “minor damage” following a “hostile incident” in the Red Sea.

Delta Tankers said: “The crew and vessel are safe. The vessel is currently drifting while the crew assesses the damage and the vessel will then continue its voyage.”

The vessel’s last call was at Iraq’s crude oil-loading Basra terminal, according to MarineTraffic data.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, but the Houthis have carried out a spate of similar attacks on commercial vessels, saying they are in solidarity with the Palestinian cause amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The Yemeni group previously claimed to only directly attack ships owned by or affiliated with 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 and disrupted a vital trade route linking Europe and the Asia-Pacific, with many ships opting for the longer Cape Horn route, which can add up to 14 days to the journey.

The disruptions have not halted westbound shipments from the oil-rich Middle East, nor caused a prolonged premium in oil futures prices.