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A Greek-owned oil tanker was ablaze and drifting in the Red Sea after what appeared to be the most successful attack on shipping by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in more than two months.
The Sounion, carrying crude oil from the southern Iraqi port of Basra to an undisclosed destination, was hit about 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, which is controlled by the Houthi rebel group.
The strikes early on Wednesday were reported by the UK’s Dubai-based Maritime Trade Operations office (UK MTO), which did not identify the vessel. Greece’s Delta Tankers confirmed that the Sounion, which it manages, had been hit. The “Suezmax” vessel, able to carry about 1mn barrels of oil, is the largest type able to use the Suez Canal when laden with cargo.
UK MTO also reported another attack — at 11.45am local time — on a vessel 57 nautical miles south of Aden. All of the three missiles fired at that ship, which the office did not identify, landed harmlessly in nearby water.
The Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November, prompting many shipowners to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, bypassing the Suez Canal. The canal is a vital link from ports in Asia and the Middle East to Europe.
The group last inflicted significant damage on a vessel in mid-June. The Houthis have said they are acting in support of Palestinians in Gaza since Israel responded to Hamas’s assault on October 7 last year and that they are attacking vessels with links to Israel, the UK and US.
UK MTO reported that a security team on the Sounion initially engaged in an exchange of small-arms fire with armed men in two small boats just before 6am local time on Wednesday. The vessel was hit two hours later by two projectiles and suffered a further attack just before 9am local time.
“There is a fire onboard and the vessel has lost engine power,” UK MTO reported. “The vessel is drifting and not under command.”
Martin Kelly, senior Middle East analyst at maritime risk consultancy EOS Risk Group, said the apparent attack method reflected how strikes by UK and US forces on the Houthis had degraded many of their capabilities, particularly by attacking radar installations. That had forced them to use crewed spotter boats, such as those reported by UK MTO.
However, he said the Yemeni militants remained eager to avenge an attack by Israeli jets on July 20 on Hodeidah. “The Houthis are still very much there,” Kelly said.
The hundreds of Houthi attacks on commercial ships since November have killed four mariners, sunk two vessels and caused several serious fires on ships.
Wednesday’s incident was the first successful attack on a commercial ship off Yemen since the Houthis on June 12 attacked the Tutor, a dry bulk carrier, killing one mariner and causing the vessel to sink.
The Houthis did not immediately claim Wednesday’s attack, although it took place in waters where they frequently operate.
Delta Tankers said the vessel had been involved in a “hostile incident” in the Red Sea but described the damage as “minor”.
“The vessel is currently adrift while the crew assess damage before the vessel will continue on its onward journey,” it said.
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