Pentagon warns Red Sea oil tanker risks ‘environmental catastrophe’

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The Pentagon on Tuesday warned of a “potential environmental catastrophe” in the Red Sea, saying an oil tanker set on fire by Yemen’s rebel Houthis now appeared to be leaking crude oil.

The Greek-flagged tanker Sounion, carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil, was hit last week by missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis.

A large-scale oil spill would be the first serious environmental damage since the Houthis’ campaign against international shipping in the Red Sea since November.

The Yemeni Islamist group says it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza after Israel’s war on the enclave in response to Hamas’ deadly attack on the Jewish state on October 7.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told a news conference Tuesday that the 274-meter-long Sounion was “immobilized” in the Red Sea.

“It is currently on fire and appears to be leaking oil, presenting both a navigational hazard and a potential environmental catastrophe,” he said.

The ship’s owners, Greece-based Delta Tankers, said last week they planned to salvage the Sounion and its cargo of 150,000 tonnes of crude – the equivalent of about 1 million barrels of oil.

Ryder said two tugboats tried to rescue the Sounion, but that the Houthis warned the ships’ crews to leave and threatened to attack them.

“(This) demonstrates their blatant disregard not only for human life, but also for the potential environmental catastrophe it presents,” he added.

The apparent oil spill comes after the Houthis posted a video on Friday showing a huge explosion on Sounion and claiming it was set off by the group’s fighters.

The tanker had been damaged by a series of Houthi attacks last Wednesday, 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

A ship from the EU’s Operation Aspides naval force rescued the 29 Sounion crew members the next day.

The operation on Monday reported that there were “at least” five fires visible on Sounion after Friday’s explosion, but “no obvious signs” of an oil spill.

The Houthis have previously sunk two ships – the Rubymar, which was attacked in February, and the Tutor, which was hit in June – and killed four sailors.

However, no previous incident has threatened environmental damage on the scale possible if the Sounion begins to rupture.

The Houthis claim to be attacking ships with ties to Israel, the US and Britain, as well as those belonging to owners using Israeli ports.

But many of the targets have few obvious ties to the three countries or have owners who use Israeli ports.

An agency representing Delta Tankers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of the Sounion salvage operation.