A Greek tanker that the Yemeni Houthis struck with a missile in the Red Sea a week ago is leaking oil, the U.S. Pentagon said, per multiple media reports.
Salvaging the vessel has proved challenging as the Houthis threaten more attacks, the BBC noted in a report quoting the Pentagon.
“The MV Sounion now sits immobilized in the Red Sea, where it is currently on fire and appears to be leaking oil, presenting both a navigational hazard and a potential environmental catastrophe,” Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said, as quoted by the Maritime Executive.
Reports last week said a tanker on fire was drifting in the Red Sea. It later emerged that the vessel had come under attack by armed groups traveling on small vessels some 90 miles from the Yemeni port city of Hodeida. The tanker was also reportedly struck by missiles or drones.
“The vessel reports being not under command,” the UK Maritime Trade Operations office said at the time, likely meaning it lost all power. “No casualties reported.”
The Greek-flagged oil tanker, the Sounion, had 25 crew members and was traveling from Iraq to Cyprus, the Associated Press reported at the time. The crew was rescued by a European warship and transported to Djibouti.
The BBC today reported that the Sounion was carrying some 150,000 tons—or close to a million barrels—of crude oil and if it spills as a result of the strikes, it could become one of the largest oil spills from a vessel in recent history. For context, the BBC recalled that the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 totaled 257,000 barrels of crude.
The Houthis have launched attacks on an estimated 80 vessels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The Houthi campaign is prompting shippers to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal and take the longer route around the Horn of Africa, which is set to add an additional 500,000 bpd of fuel consumption for 2024.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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