NYN | News
The British Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the Greek Ministry of Shipping reported on Wednesday that a vessel was attacked by four projectiles in the Red Sea, leading to engine failure and a fire breaking out on board.
According to a memo issued by the British agency, the attack occurred 77 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, Yemen. The memo indicated that the captain reported two small boats approaching the vessel, with the first boat carrying between 3 to 5 people and the second about 10 people.
The memo added that an exchange of gunfire occurred using small arms, after which the two boats moved away from the vessel by two nautical miles. About two hours later, the captain reported that the ship was hit by two projectiles, followed by a third strike.
The British agency stated that the crew lost control of the ship, but no casualties were reported. Less than an hour later, the captain reported an additional attack by an unknown projectile, resulting in the loss of the ship’s engine and the ignition of a fire on board. The captain also reported a small boat behaving suspiciously near the ship.
The Greek Ministry of Shipping confirmed that the targeted ship was the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion, noting that it sustained damage.
Delta Tankers, the operator of the Sounion, confirmed that the tanker was involved in a hostile incident in the Red Sea and sustained minor damage. The company added that the crew and the ship are safe, and the vessel is currently adrift as the crew assesses the damage before resuming the voyage.
According to Reuters, the ship, which has a crew of 25, lost its ability to maneuver due to the attack.
The Sounion, according to maritime data, is a large crude oil tanker measuring 274 meters in length and 50 meters in width, flying the Greek flag and operated by the Greece-based company Delta Tankers.
The ship had turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) while passing off the coast of Oman a few days ago on its way to the Gulf of Aden, as shown by ship tracking websites and maritime traffic data. The American agency *Bloomberg* reported that the ship has the capacity to carry one million barrels of crude oil.
This incident marks the third such event for Delta Tankers in the Red Sea this month, with the British Maritime Trade Operations reporting earlier that the vessel Delta Blue was subjected to four attacks over more than 24 hours, followed by three successive attacks on the vessel Delta Atlantica.
The forces of the Yemeni government in Sanaa have not claimed responsibility for targeting any of the three ships. However, Greek company vessels transporting goods to Israeli ports, which are considered a violation of the blockade imposed by the Sanaa forces, have been targeted multiple times in the Red Sea during what is being called the “fourth phase of escalation.”
Greece has become a key hub for transporting goods that global companies refuse to deliver to “Israel,” exposing these vessels to repeated targeting by the Sanaa government forces.
