Oil tanker attacked by the Houthis is now adrift and ON FIRE

The oil tanker we told you about earlier this week which was attacked by the Houthis, the Sounion, is now adrift and on fire.

The Sounion was abandoned by its crew yesterday after it was attacked by two small Houthi boats which fired some kind of missile or other projectile, damaging the ship’s engine.

The oil tanker currently has 150,000 tons of crude oil aboard.

Here’s more from ABC News:

Fires broke out Friday on a Greek-flagged oil tanker previously attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels this week, with the vessel now appearing to be adrift in the Red Sea, authorities said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what had happened to the oil tanker Sounion, which had been abandoned by its crew on Thursday and reportedly anchored in place.

The Houthis didn’t immediately acknowledge the fire. The rebels are suspected to have gone back and attacked at least one other vessel that later sank as part of their monthslong campaign against shipping in the Red Sea over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that’s disrupted a trade route that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it annually.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the fires in a note to mariners on Friday night.

“UKMTO have received a report that three fires have been observed on vessel,” the center said. “The vessel appears to be drifting.”

A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said American officials were aware of the fires and continued to monitor the situation.

The vessel had been staffed by a crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, who were taken by a French destroyer to nearby Djibouti, the EU’s Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea said on Thursday.

The Sounion has 150,000 tons of crude oil aboard and represents a “navigational and environmental hazard,” the mission warned. “It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.”

I think it’s safe to say that Joe Biden isn’t going to do a damn thing about the Houthis. They are just going to be allowed to continue terrorizing ships in the Red Sea.

Just fyi, ABC News reports that the Houthis have killed four sailors and sank two vessels since their terrorism has begun. It’s an outrage that the Houthi parts of Yemen haven’t been leveled yet.

https://therightscoop.com/breaking-oil-tanker-attacked-by-the-houthis-is-now-adrift-and-on-fire/