US Navy outmaneuvered by Houthis in small boats.
Houthis Burn Greek Oil Tanker in Red Sea,
Mock US by Posting Video of Blaze
Chris Harris / New York Post
(August 24, 2024) — Houthi terrorists attacked and later set fire to a Greek oil tanker this week in the Red Sea, posting footage of the carnage to mock the US and its allies who are supposed to be protecting the region’s vital shipping lines.
In the video posted Friday of the Sounion — which was carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil — the Iran-backed terrorists can be heard chanting the group’s slogan: “God is the greatest! Death to America! Death to Israel! Curse the Jews! Victory to Islam!” as the fire rages.
It is the third merchant ship Yemeni terrorists have destroyed in the Red Sea, following the sinking of the M/V Tudor — also Greek-owned — in June and Belize-flagged Rubymar in March.
Attack on the Greek-owned M/V Tudor in June 2024.
The terrorists, riding on small boats, first moved in on the tanker on Wednesday, opening fire with guns and hitting the ship with four projectiles, according to the UK military’s Maritime Trade Operations Center.
It was not clear if they were drones or missiles. On Friday, three explosions, the exact source of which were unclear, rocked the vessel.
The Sounion’s crew of 29 was evacuated by French rescuers to nearby Djibouti on Thursday, after the initial attack.
The crew, made up of 23 Filipino and two Russian merchant marines, anchored the ship before abandoning it, but it now appears to be adrift, the UKMTO said.
A frame-by-frame analysis of the video conducted by The Associated Press found the simultaneous explosions struck the deck of the Sounion.
That suggests the attack may have been conducted by planted explosives, rather than a strike by missile or drone.
The Sounion, which the Houthis said was en route to Israel, apparently did not request protection as it passed through the critical shipping lanes there, confirmed Operation Aspides, the European Union’s maritime security operation aimed at preventing Houthi threats.
One of its ships responded to the scene to help rescue the crew.
Representative Mike Waltz (R-Florida) shared video of the ship explosion on X — and called it a failure of US foreign policy.
“This is what Biden/Harris policy of appeasement towards Iran gets you… Houthi terrorists blowing 150,000 tons of crude oil into the Red sea,” Waltz said.
Blackwater founder Erik Prince called the latest attack “a clear sign of the collapse of American credibility and deterrence.”
“Letting the Iranian proxy Houthis shut off a major maritime seaway is an epic fail. America can and must do better! ” he wrote on X.
A United States defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity told the AP that American officials were aware of the fires and continued to monitor the situation.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said early Saturday its forces had destroyed one Houthi missile system in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen in the past 24 hours.
“It was determined this system presented a clear and imminent threat to US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM said on X.
“This action was taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters “safer and more secure” for US, coalition, and merchant vessels,” it added.
The ship and its 150,000 tons of crude oil, now poses a profound environmental threat to the region.
By comparison, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker that ran aground off Alaska in 1989 — causing one of the worst environmental disasters in the nation’s history — was toting 37,000 tons of crude.
“A potential spill could lead to disastrous consequences for the region’s marine environment,” the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority said in a social media post Friday.
Catastrophic 2021 Oil Spill in Red Sea
https://youtu.be/2lfIsSAXsBg?si=T9zMENTf68ftUl46
A Houthi military spokesman said Friday in a speech to Yemenis said the tanker was targeted because its owner, Delta Tankers, has violated the group’s ban on “entry to the ports of occupied Palestine.”
In a statement, Delta Tankers said it is “doing everything it can to move the vessel” and its cargo.
“For security reasons, we are not in a position to comment further,” the statement said.
The Houthis claim their attacks on commercial ships are being carried out in “solidarity” with Palestinians in Gaza.
The group has targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since it started its campaign.
December 2023 Houthi
Attack on Norwegian Oil Tanker
In December, the United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, which brought together forces from several nations to provide protection to ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where $1 trillion in goods passes through each year.
A request for information about the operations from the Department of Defense was referred to the Central Intelligence Agency, which did not immediately respond.
