Houthi surface drone attacks tanker in Red Sea

July 16, 2024

CAIRO, July 16 (Reuters) – Liberian-flagged oil tanker Chios Lion The Joint Maritime Information Center for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (JMIC) said on Tuesday that the organization is currently assessing the damage and investigating a possible oil spill following an attack by the Yemeni Houthis in the Red Sea.

An unmanned watercraft caused minor damage to Chios Lion’s As part of a wave of attacks by the Houthis on the ship and another vessel sailing about 100 nautical miles northwest of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, the vessel was attacked on its port side on Monday.

“While the vessel was originally heading south, after the attack it turned around and headed north again out of the danger area to further assess the damage and investigate a possible oil spill,” the JMIC said in a statement.

It was further stated that the captain and crew were safe.

The manager of Chios Lion did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Yemeni Houthis said they had targeted Chios Lion And Bentley Continental with ballistic missiles, drones and booby-trapped boats in response to the deadly Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis on Saturday.

Since November, attacks by Houthi rebels have caused economic damage to world trade by forcing shipping companies to divert their ships from the shortcut via the Suez Canal and instead take the longer and more expensive route around Africa.

They also pose a threat to the environment as they can release spilled cargo such as oil, fertilizers and ship fuel.

(Reporting by Jaidaa Taha in Cairo, Nayera Abdallah in Dubai and Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Alison Williams)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024.