Red Sea tanker risks ‘environmental catastrophe’, Pentagon warns

August 28, 2024 - An oil tanker targeted by Yemen’s Houthis appears to be leaking oil, the Pentagon says. The ship is carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude and a spill has the potential to be among the largest on record.

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The Greek-flagged tanker Sounion, carrying 150,000 tonnes – or one million barrels – of crude oil, was hit last week by missiles launched by the Iran-backed Houthis.

A large-scale oil leak would represent the first serious environmental damage as a result of the campaign waged by the Houthis against international shipping in the Red Sea since November.

The Yemeni Islamist group claims to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza following Israel’s war in the enclave in response to Hamas’s deadly attack on the Jewish state on October 7.