A Greek-owned and flagged oil tanker is on hearth and adrift within the Crimson Sea after a sequence of assaults, British and Greek government say.The Sounion was once first hit by means of gunfire from two small boats which approached it early on Wednesday about 77 nautical miles (143km) west of the Yemeni port of Hudaydah, in step with the United Kingdom Maritime Business Operations (UKMTO) workplace.Later, the send was once struck by means of 3 unidentified projectiles, which sparked a fireplace onboard and left it with out engine energy, it mentioned. There have been no experiences of accidents amongst its 25 group.No team has but mentioned it was once at the back of the assaults, which Greece’s minister of maritime affairs condemned as a flagrant violation of world legislation.Then again, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi motion has many times focused industrial transport within the Crimson Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.The Houthis say they’re performing in fortify of the Palestinians within the conflict between Israel and Hamas within the Gaza Strip. They’ve claimed – regularly falsely – that they’re concentrated on ships simplest related to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom.They’ve now not been deterred by means of the deployment of Western warships to offer protection to service provider vessels or by means of US and British air moves on territory they keep an eye on in north-western Yemen. Israel additionally bombed Hudaydah’s port remaining month in retaliation for a perilous drone strike on Tel Aviv.The Sounion, which is a 274m-long and 50m-wide “Suezmax” tanker, was once sporting crude oil from the Iraqi port of Basra when it was once attacked. The vessel’s Greek operator, Delta Tankers, mentioned it had sustained “minor” harm and that its group was once assessing the placement ahead of proceeding its onward adventure.Additionally on Wednesday, the Panama-flagged shipment vessel SW North Wind I reported 3 explosions within the water close by because it sailed in the course of the Gulf of Aden, the UKMTO mentioned.It added that the group was once protected following the incidents, which came about 57 nautical miles south of the Yemeni town of Aden, and the vessel was once continuing to the following port of name.In June, the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned shipment send Tutor sank and one group member was once killed after the Houthis attacked it with a sea drone within the Crimson Sea.
