Pentagon warns Red Sea tanker risks ‘environmental catastrophe’

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The Pentagon on Tuesday warned of a “potential environmental catastrophe” in the Red Sea as it said that an oil tanker set on fire by Yemen’s rebel Houthis now appeared to be leaking crude.

The Greek-flagged tanker Sounion, carrying 1mn barrels of crude, was hit last week by missiles launched by the Iran-backed Houthis.

A large-scale oil leak would represent the first serious environmental damage as a result of the campaign waged by the Houthis against international shipping in the Red Sea since November.

The Yemeni Islamist group claims to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza following Israel’s war in the enclave in response to Hamas’s deadly attack on the Jewish state on October 7.

Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder told a press briefing on Tuesday that the 274-metre long Sounion was “immobilised” in the Red Sea.

“It is currently on fire and appears to be leaking oil, presenting both a navigational hazard and a potential environmental catastrophe,” he said.

The vessel’s owners, Greece-based Delta Tankers, said last week they intended to salvage the Sounion and its 150,000-tonne cargo of crude — equivalent to about 1mn barrels of oil.

Ryder said two tugs had attempted to salvage the Sounion but that the Houthis had warned the ships’ crews away and threatened to attack them.

“[This] demonstrates their blatant disregard for not only human life but also for the potential environmental catastrophe that this presents,” he added.

The apparent oil leak comes after the Houthis on Friday posted a video showing a huge explosion on the Sounion and claiming it had been set off by the group’s fighters.

The tanker had been damaged by a series of attacks by the Houthis last Wednesday, 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

A ship from the EU’s Operation Aspides naval force rescued Sounion’s 29 crew members the following day.

The operation on Monday reported there were “at least” five fires visible on the Sounion following Friday’s explosion, but “no obvious signs” of an oil spill.

The Houthis have previously sunk two ships — the Rubymar, attacked in February, and the Tutor, struck in June — and killed four mariners.

However, no previous incident has threatened environmental damage on the scale possible if the Sounion starts to break up.

The Houthis claim to be attacking ships with links to Israel, the US and the UK, as well as those belonging to owners using ports in Israel.

But many of the targets have few obvious links to the three countries, or have owners using Israeli ports.

An agency representing Delta Tankers did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the status of the Sounion salvage operation.