According to US Central Command, a rescue effort was under way on Monday for an oil ship that was targeted by Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen last month and was still on fire.
On August 21, the Huthis attacked the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which was transporting 150,000 metric tons of crude oil, off the coast of Hodeida.
“Salvage efforts are underway” for the disabled vessel, “which is still on fire and threatens the possibility of a major environmental disaster,” in the southern Red Sea, according to a post made by CENTCOM on X.
The rebels supported by Iran claimed to have set off explosives and placed booby traps aboard the ship.
CENTCOM condemned such Huthi attacks as “reckless” and promised to “continue to work with international partners and allies” to protect trade and mitigate environmental impacts in the region.
The European Union’s Red Sea naval mission, Aspides, said earlier in the day that it would “provide protection to the tug boats, that will deal with the salvage operation and facilitate their efforts to prevent an environmental disaster,” according to a post on X.
“Several fires continue to burn on the vessel’s main deck,” the mission added, noting that there were “no visible signs of an oil spill.”
The Sounion’s crew, made up of 23 Filipinos and two Russians, was rescued the day after the attack by a French frigate serving with Aspides.
The EU naval force was established in February to defend Red Sea merchant vessels against attacks by the Huthi rebels. The rebels claim that their campaign against international shipping is a way of demonstrating their support for the Palestinian organization Hamas in its conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reports that on Monday, two more ships were involved in strikes off the coast of Yemen.
According to CENTCOM, the two ships were both tankers transporting crude oil; the Saudi Arabian-flagged ship was carrying almost two million barrels of crude oil, while the Panamanian-flagged ship was carrying only a little amount.
