– US Warns Tanker Hit By Houthis Could Cause Largest Ship Oil Spill In History:
The US Pentagon has warned that an oil tanker attacked by Yemen’s Houthis last week is still on fire and could be leaking oil into the Red Sea, threatening an ecological disaster.
Last week the group targeted the Greek-flagged crude oil tanker Sounion with three projectiles, sparking a fire and disabling the engine.
The Sounion’s crew were rescued by a French naval vessel on Thursday after drifting for a day 77 nautical miles west of the port of Hodeidah.
On Friday the group, which controls most of Yemen and says its attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, posted a video purporting to show them setting the ship alight.
The EU’s Aspides task force, an international naval force, said in a statement on X that there was no sign of fire on board the ship when the crew were rescued.
The tanker is carrying more than 150,000 tonnes of crude oil. Should a spill occur, it could be among the largest from a ship in recorded history.
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