Greek-flagged oil tanker poses ‘environmental hazard’ after attack in Red Sea

By Catherine Nicholls, CNN

(CNN) — A Greek-flagged oil tanker carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil poses an “environmental hazard” after it came under attack from projectiles and arms fire in the Red Sea.

The 25-person crew of the Sounion oil tanker was rescued after the attack by a vessel from Eunavfor Aspides, a European Union defensive maritime security operation aimed at protecting merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf.

The vessel, damaged and without engine power, is now anchored between Yemen and Eritrea, a maritime security source told Reuters on Thursday. Delta Tankers said it is working on a plan to move the tanker to a safer destination for further checks and repairs.

The vessel was approached at around 3 a.m. local time Wednesday morning by “two small craft” with around 13 to 15 people on board, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported. There was a “brief exchange of small arms fire” before the vessel was struck by at least three projectiles, the report added.

All Sounion crew members are in good health, Greece’s shipping ministry said in a statement, but the boat has suffered “material damage.”

The 150,000 tons of crude oil on board the ship now pose a navigational and environmental hazard in the region, Eunavfor Aspides said in a statement. “It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation,” the naval force added.

Eunavfor Aspides said all those on board the boat were transported to Djibouti, in east Africa, which was the nearest safe port of call. Before it reached the Sounion, the EU’s navy crew “destroyed” an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) that it said “posed an imminent threat to the ship and the crew.” The naval force did not say who was behind the attack.

Greece’s shipping ministry called the attack on the oil tanker a “flagrant violation of international law and a serious threat to the safety of international navigation.”

Attacks on container vessels in the Red Sea have been wreaking havoc on one of the world’s most important trade routes for months. Iran-backed Houthi militants stepped up their attacks on ships in late November last year, in retaliation for Israel’s war against Hamas.

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