Houthis: Operation to prevent major Red Sea oil spill under way

The Houthis – who have falsely claimed to only target Israeli, US and UK ships – attacked the Sounion with gunfire, before hitting it with three unidentified projectiles, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said last week. Its 25 crew members were rescued by a European warship.

The tanker was later attacked again, with footage released by the group showing Houthi militants boarding the ship and lighting fires on its deck.

The leader of the Houthis called the attack “brave and bold” in a recent address.

The US State Department has previously warned a spill from the Sounion could be almost four times as large as the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989. That incident saw 2,100km (1,300 miles) of coastline contaminated after a tanker ran aground off Alaska.

The Houthis have continued to target crude oil tankers in the Red Sea in recent days.

On Monday, US military command said two vessels carrying oil were hit with ballistic missiles and a drone, including the Saudi-owned and flagged MV Amjad, which is said to be carrying around two million barrels of oil.

A US-led military operation has carried out strikes in Yemen, where the Houthis control much of the country, in an attempt to disrupt its ability to strike vessels passing through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.