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Oil tanker in Red Sea attacked with Houthi projectiles

The oil tanker Sounion was attacked by two small boats and hit by three missiles in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on Wednesday. The ship was damaged but no one was injured, the Greek Maritime Ministry and the British maritime agency UKMTO said.

In solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas, the Iran-aligned Houthi fighters have carried out a series of attacks on international shipping near Yemen since last November.

The Sounion said it was struck by two small boats with about 15 people on board and said there was a brief exchange of small arms fire during the incident 77 nautical miles (142 km) west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, Britain's Maritime Trade Operations said.

Sounion, a Greek-flagged vessel with 25 crew, lost its maneuverability as a result of the attack, UKMTO added, and the Greek Maritime Ministry said in a statement that the vessel was damaged.

In this November 20, 2023 photo, a Houthi fighter stands on the cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea. (Source: Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS)

It also said there were no reports of injuries among the foreign crew – two Russians and the rest Filipinos.

British security company Ambrey also reported another incident in the same area, saying that “in an earlier incident 10 nautical miles further south, the vessel was attacked with small arms from two skiffs,” it said, without naming the vessel involved.

Company response

Tanker operator Delta Tankers confirmed that the ship was involved in a “hostile incident” in the Red Sea and suffered only minor damage.

“The crew and vessel are safe and unharmed. The vessel is currently adrift while the crew assesses the damage before the vessel continues its onward journey,” it said.

The attacks on shipping led to retaliatory strikes by the US and UK on Houthi territories and caused disruption to world trade as shipowners had to divert their ships away from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal and onto the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.



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