CAIRO (Reuters) – Three fires have been noticed on board a Greek-flagged oil tanker within the Purple Sea, The UK Maritime Commerce Operations (UKMTO) stated on Friday, sooner or later after it was evacuated by its crew after being attacked by Yemeni Houthi militants.
The Houthis, who management Yemen’s most populous areas, stated on Thursday that they attacked the Sounion oil tanker within the Purple Sea, because the Iran-aligned group has been attacking ships in solidarity with Palestinians within the struggle between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Sounion “belongs to a company that has ties to the Israeli enemy and violated the ban decision of entry to the ports of occupied Palestine,” Houthi navy spokesman Yahya Saree stated in a televised speech.
On Friday, UKMTO stated in an advisory notice it had obtained stories that three fires have been noticed on the vessel, which “appears to be drifting”.
The tanker, which is carrying 150,000 tonnes of , now poses an environmental hazard, the EU’s Purple Sea naval mission Aspides stated on Thursday.
The Sounion was the third vessel operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers to be attacked within the Purple Sea this month.
The assault led to the lack of engine energy, based on UKMTO. The vessel was anchored between Yemen and Eritrea, a maritime safety supply advised Reuters on Thursday.
