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Pentagon: Tanker attacked by the Houthi leaks oil

1 of 2 | Pentagon officials said Tuesday that a Greek tanker attacked by Houthi militias last week was leaking oil into the Red Sea. Photo courtesy of Eunavfor Aspides/X

Aug. 28 (UPI) – A Greek oil tanker attacked by Houthi militias in the Red Sea last week appears to be leaking oil, the Pentagon said, expressing concern about the dangers posed to navigation and the environment by the stranded ship.

The MV Delta Sounion, a Greek-flagged and Greek-owned vessel, was attacked by Iranian proxy militia on August 21 while transporting around 1 million barrels of crude oil from Iraq to Greece and has now been abandoned at sea.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder, a major general in the Air Force, told reporters on Tuesday that the ship remained immobilized and on fire. Attempts by third parties to salvage the ship had been thwarted by threats of attack from the Houthis, he said.

“These are simply reckless acts of terrorism that continue to destabilize global and regional trade, endanger the lives of innocent civilian seafarers, and threaten the vibrant maritime ecosystem in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis' backyard,” he said.

Ryder said U.S. Central Command continues to monitor the situation and is coordinating with partners in the region to determine how to assist the ship and mitigate potential environmental impacts.

Encouraged by the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni Houthis have been trying to enforce a naval blockade of the Red Sea since mid-November by attacking both military and commercial ships passing through the region.

They claim the military action is a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been waging war since the October 7 attack by Hamas, another Iranian-backed militia.

During their blockade, the Houthis hijacked one ship, sank two others and killed at least three sailors.

According to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, two small Houthi boats with a total of 15 people on board approached the Sounion. After an attempt to call the vessel, a brief exchange of fire ensued.

About two hours later, the ship reported being hit by two unknown projectiles and then by a third, resulting in a fire and loss of engine power.

The ship then anchored and its crew of two Russian and 23 Filipino sailors were evacuated as part of the European Union military operation in the area.

Eunavfor Aspides said earlier this week that the ship has been burning since at least Friday.

At least five fires were reported to be burning on the ship around the oil tank hatches, although no signs of an oil spill had been detected at the time.

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