Houthi attacks on Greek tanker spark fears of Red Sea ecological crisis
There could be a massive ecological disaster. Continuous Houthi attacks threaten the leakage of a million barrels of oil, warns the U.S. Department of State. The militants threaten further attacks.
The U.S. Department of State has warned of a potential ecological disaster in the Red Sea following an attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on the Greek tanker Sounion. Fires broke out on the damaged, drifting ship on Friday. The U.S. Department of State has warned of a probable oil spill.
As reported on the Interia website, it could be four times larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989, during which around 115,000 metric tonnes of oil may have spilt into the waters off the coast of Alaska.
Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder reported that two tugboats were sent to the location to transport the damaged tanker, but the Houthi militants threatened to attack them as well.
Houthi attack on the Greek ship
The Sounion was attacked on Wednesday, 21 August, about 140 kilometres west of the Yemeni port of Al-Hudaydah. On Thursday, a French destroyer sent as part of the EU mission Aspides took in the tanker crew. According to Greek authorities, none of the 25 crew members were injured.
The Department of State stated that ongoing Houthi attacks risk causing a spill of a million barrels of oil into the Red Sea. The Houthis have demonstrated a clear disregard for the potential destruction of fisheries and regional ecosystems, which are vital for the livelihoods of Yemenis and neighbouring communities.
A serious ecological disaster could occur
The Aspides mission also warned on Saturday of the threat of a serious ecological disaster in the Red Sea regions. In a statement on platform X, it noted that on Thursday, there was no visible fire on the shelled tanker, but the ship was burning a day later.
"This situation underlines that these kinds of attacks pose not only a threat against the freedom of navigation but also to the lives of seafarers, the environment, and subsequently the life of all citizens living in that region," wrote the Aspides mission.
As the AP agency recalled, since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip in October last year, Iranian-supported Houthi rebels have attacked about 80 ships with rockets and drones, seized one ship, and sunk two. As a result of their attacks, four sailors lost their lives.
