Red Sea: Oil tanker abandoned following drone attack

Houthis launched drone attacks at an oil tanker transiting through the Red Sea yesterday, EUNAVFOR Aspides said.

PHOTO: A crude oil tanker at sea. Getty Images

The European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Aspides is a maritime mission deployed by EU member states to protect and defend cargo vessels transiting the Red Sea.

The Yemen-based militant group hit MV SOUNION, a Greek-flagged oil tanker that was carrying 150,000 tonnes [150,000 mt] of crude, according to Aspides.

The vessel was targeted with several projectiles off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, igniting a fire onboard, after which it “lost its engine power,” Aspides said. All crew members have been rescued and are now being taken to Djibouti, the nearest safe port, Aspides said.

The oil tanker is currently stranded in the Red Sea, according to reports. “Carrying 150.000 tonnes [150,000 mt] of crude oil, the MV SOUNION now represents a navigational and environmental hazard,” the EU's Red Sea naval mission remarked.

The MV SOUNION is the third oil tanker operated by Greek shipping company Delta Tankers to come under direct attack in the Red Sea this month, Reuters reports. The Athens-based company is now working on a plan to move the vessel to a safer destination, according to the report.

"While approaching the area, the EUNAVFOR ASPIDES ship destroyed an unmanned surface vessel (USV) that posed an imminent threat to the ship and the crew," Aspides added.

The Yemeni militia’s spokesperson Yahya Sare’e claimed responsibility for the attack on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The Houthis have used USVs to attack commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea. These repeated attacks on commercial vessels have heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and raised safety concerns in the global shipping industry.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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