Greek-Flagged Tanker Attacked by Gunmen on Skiffs off Yemen’s Red Sea Coast

An oil products tanker was attacked by two small boats and struck by three projectiles in the Red Sea off Yemen on Aug. 21, according to the Greek shipping ministry and the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.

The vessel, named Sounion, suffered damage, but none of the crew sustained any injuries.

Houthi terrorists have launched a series of attacks on international shipping near Yemen since last November in solidarity with Hamas over the war in Israel and Gaza.

Sounion reported being approached by two small boats carrying about 15 people.

There was a brief exchange of small arms fire during the incident 77 nautical miles west of Yemen’s Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, the UKMTO said.

Sounion, a Greek-flagged ship with 25 crew members, lost the ability to maneuver as a result of the attack, UKMTO added, saying it had been left “not under command.”

The Greek shipping ministry also said in a statement that the vessel had been damaged but there were no reports of injuries among the crew, made up of two Russians and the rest Filipino nationals.

Ambrey, a British security firm, separately reported another incident in the same area, saying, “The vessel was engaged by small arms fire from two skiffs in a previous incident 10 nautical miles further south,” without naming the ship involved.

Delta Tankers, which operates the Sounion, confirmed it had been involved in “a hostile incident” in the Red Sea.

“The crew and vessel are safe and unharmed. The vessel is currently adrift while the crew assess [the] damage before the vessel will continue on its onward journey,” Delta Tankers said.

The attacks on shipping have drawn retaliatory U.S. and British strikes on Houthi targets and disrupted global trade as shipping companies reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal to sail the much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope off the southern tip of Africa.

Houthi aggression has caused such disruption to international shipping that on Aug. 15, Dubai-based port operator DP World reported that its half-year profits had fallen by nearly 60 percent, in part because of the continuing attacks in the Red Sea.

The Red Sea is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with about $1 trillion worth of goods flowing through it annually.

Though the Houthis claim that their targets are limited to ships with Israeli, U.S., or UK links as part of a campaign to “end the war in Gaza,” the reality has been that many vessels that have been subject to attacks have had at best tenuous connections to the conflict and, in some instances, none whatsoever.

Reuters contributed to this report.