Burning tanker attacked by Houthis appears to be leaking oil, Pentagon says | Houthis

The Greek-flagged crude oil tanker Sounion, which was attacked by Yemen’s Houthis last week, is still burning in the Red Sea and now appears to be leaking oil, the Pentagon said.

The tanker was hit by multiple projectiles last week near the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen. The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, said they were behind the attack.

The Sounion carries 150,000 tons of crude oil. If an oil spill occurs, it is likely to be one of the largest spills ever caused by a ship.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder of the Air Force said Tuesday that a third party had attempted to send two tugboats to help recover the Sounion, but the Houthis threatened to attack them.

“These are simply reckless acts of terror that continue to destabilize global and regional trade, endanger the lives of innocent civilian seafarers, and jeopardize the vibrant maritime ecosystem in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis’ backyard,” Ryder said.

He added that the US military is working with other partners in the region to determine how to protect the ship and mitigate its potential impact on the environment.

The Iran-linked group has sunk two ships and killed at least three crew members in the 10-month campaign, which has upended global shipping as ship owners are forced to avoid the shorter route via the Suez Canal.

The Houthis said they attacked the tanker in part because Delta Tankers violated a ban on “access to the ports of occupied Palestine,” Houthis military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised address.

The Sounion was the third ship of Athens-based Delta Tankers to be attacked in the Red Sea this month.

The Iran-linked group has attacked ships in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

According to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, the largest recorded oil spill from a ship occurred in 1979, when approximately 287,000 tons of oil escaped from the Atlantic Empress after the ship collided with another oil tanker during a storm in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Tobago.