New Delhi: Tensions in the Red Sea continue to mount after Yemen’s Houthi rebel group attacked a ship carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil. The Houthis released a video showing their fighters boarding the Greek-flagged oil tanker, Sonyon, and detonating explosives on the vessel. The attack, which occurred earlier this month, has raised significant concerns internationally, particularly in the United States.
The footage, released by the Houthis on Thursday, sparked fears of a large oil spill in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that oil is leaking from the ship, warning of a “potential environmental disaster” that could severely impact the Red Sea’s unique marine ecosystem and threaten maritime transport in the region.
According to Yahya Saari, a military spokesperson for the Houthis, the Sonyon was targeted because it belonged to a company that had “violated” a blockade imposed by the Yemeni faction against ships bound for Israel. The Houthis have increasingly targeted vessels they claim are Israeli, in an effort to pressure the Israeli government to end the conflict in Gaza. The ongoing war has already resulted in over 40,600 Palestinian casualties from Israeli attacks.
The video released by the Houthis provides drone footage of the tanker’s exterior and a walkthrough in the cockpit, where a fighter is seen planting explosives. Multiple detonations are shown on the ship’s surface, but the footage does not reveal any visible damage to the parts of the ship where the oil is stored. It remains unclear when the video was recorded or how it may impact ongoing efforts to contain the oil spill.
The Sonyon was first attacked on 22 August, with its crew evacuated the same day. On Thursday, the European Union’s military mission in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides, reported “several incidents of fire” on the ship’s main deck. However, the EU mission also confirmed that the ship remains anchored, with no confirmed oil spill at that time.
The Red Sea is a critical route for global transportation and home to a diverse marine ecosystem. The potential pollution from an oil spill poses a serious threat to both. Earlier this week, US forces in the region confirmed they were monitoring the situation closely, emphasising that oil leakage had been detected from the tanker.
The incident adds another layer of tension in a region already fraught with conflict, highlighting the fragility of maritime security and the broader implications of geopolitical disputes on global environmental health.
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