| August 2024 oil spill caused by attacks on the tankerSounion | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of August 2024 oil spill caused by attacks on the tankerSounion | |
| Location | Red Sea, "77 nautical miles to the West ofAl Hudaydah" |
| Coordinates | 14°59′24.468″N41°39′17.28″E / 14.99013000°N 41.6548000°E /14.99013000; 41.6548000[1] |
| Date | 22 August 2024 |
| Cause | |
| Cause | Destruction of theoil tankerSounion byHouthi militants |
| Operator | Delta Tankers |
| Spill characteristics | |
| Volume | Up to 150,000 tons (~1 million barrels) ofpetroleum |
Theattacks on the MTSounion refers toHouthi attacks on a Greek-registeredoil tanker that was carrying approximately 150,000 tons of petroleum cargo, and the resulting spillage ofcrude oil into theRed Sea. The oil spill was caused by Houthi explosions targeting the ship, which caused the ship to burn and start spilling flaming crude oil into the ocean, which theEuropean UnionAspides military task force described as posing a severe environmental risk to the complex biodiversity of the marine region.[2]
TheRed Sea crisis (Arabic:أزمة البحر الأحمر) began on 19 October 2023, when theIran-backedHouthis inYemen launched missiles and armed drones atIsrael, demanding an end to theinvasion of the Gaza Strip.[3][4] The Houthis have sinceseized or bombarded dozens of merchant and naval vessels in theRed Sea and received hundreds of retaliatory air strikes by theUnited States and allied forces.[5] The crisis is linked to theGaza war, theIran–Israel proxy war, and theYemeni crisis.[6][7][8]
Since 2014, the Houthis, who opposeYemen's internationally recognized government, have controlled a considerable swath of the country's territory along the Red Sea. Shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza war, theHamas-allied group began to launch missiles and drones at Israel. It has also fired on merchant vessels in the Red Sea, particularly in theBab-el-Mandeb, the southern maritime gateway to theSuez Canal, damaging the global economy. The group declared that it would not stop until Israel ceased the Gaza war.[3][9]
The Houthis declared any Israel-linked ship was a target for attack,[10][7][8] including US andUK warships, but they also attacked the ships of nations with no connection to Israel.[11][12] From October 2023 to March 2024, the Houthis attacked more than 60 vessels in the Red Sea.[13] To avoid attack, hundreds of commercial vessels were rerouted tosail around South Africa.[14]
Houthi Red Sea attacks have drawn military responses from a number of countries. In January 2024, theUN Security Council adoptedResolution 2722, condemning the Houthi attacks and affirmingfreedom of navigation.[13] TheUnited States-ledOperation Prosperity Guardian was launched to protect Red Sea shipping. From 12 January 2024, the US and UK led coalitionair and missile strikes against the Houthis, while other countries are independently attacking Houthi vessels in the Red Sea.[15] On 3 May 2024, Yemeni generalYahya Saree said, "We will target any ships heading to Israeli ports in theMediterranean Sea in any area we are able to reach".[16] On 6 May 2025, US presidentDonald Trump announced a cessation of US strikes as a result of a bilateralceasefire between the US and the Houthis.[17] Sounion leavingPort of Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2007 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sounion |
| Owner | Delta Tankers |
| Port of registry |  Greece |
| Completed | 2006 |
| Identification | |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Crude oil tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 274 m (898 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 50.06 m (164 ft 3 in) |
| Draught | 11 m (36 ft 1 in) |
| Crew | 25 |
MTSounion is a crudeoil tanker built in November 2006 by the South Korea-based shipbuilderHD Hyundai Samho. Greek-flagged, the ship is registered inPiraeus.[18][19][20] She is operated by the Athens-basedDelta Tankers, whose shipsDelta Blue andDelta Atlantica had previously come under attack by the Houthis.[21]
On 21 August 2024, the 274-meter (898 ft 11 in)-long oil tankerSounion, owned byDelta Tankers and crewed by 25 Filipinos and Russians, with four security personnel, was targeted by Houthi militants while near the mouth of theRed Sea. Two Houthifast attack craft engaged in a firefight with theSounion's armed guards before three projectiles struck the tanker.[22][23] The initial attack caused a fire on board that was extinguished, but also resulted in engine failure and the loss of propulsion.[24][25] The tanker was en route fromBasrah, Iraq to the oil refinery atAgioi Theodoroi in Greece.[26] The entire crew was rescued by theEuropean UnionAspides naval military operation while the ship was drifting about 77nautical miles (143 km; 89 mi) to the west ofAl Hudaydah port, using the FrenchfrigateChevalier Paul to evacuate the crew to nearby Djibouti on 22 August 2024.[2][27] While engaged in rescue operations, theChevalier Paul sighted an approaching Houthi explosive boat and successfully engaged and destroyed it with the frigate's20 mm Narwhal guns.[28]
On 23 August, Houthis released videos showing their fighters boarding the ship and subsequent footage from a distance showing three simultaneous massive explosions on the ship, as Houthi militants chanted theslogan of the Houthi movement. The source of the explosions appeared to be explosives planted on the ship by the Houthis rather than missile or drone strikes, due to the simultaneous explosions.[29] The deliberate destruction of an abandoned ship marked an apparent shift in Houthi tactics towards the Red Sea crisis compared to its prior sinking ofRubymar in February 2024 andTutor in June 2024.[2]
The Aspides task force stated on 23 August that the explosions created a "significant environmental threat due to the large volume of crude oil on board" that could severely damage the diverse marineecosystem in the Red Sea, and warned all nearby ships not to take any actions that could cause the situation to deteriorate. Video taken by Houthi militants of the ship on fire showed flaming oil pouring into the sea from the top and side of the tanker shortly following the explosions.[29]Sounion was carrying approximately 150,000 tons of petroleum cargo at the time of the explosions, which was about the maximum amount it could carry.[2] On the night of 23 August, theRoyal Navy noted that the fires were still burning as the vessel continued drifting.[24]
NASAsatellite imaging taken at 10:04 a.m.UTC on 25 August indicated thermal anomalies in the Red Sea at 14° 59' 24.468"N 41° 39' 17.28"E, located north of the space roughly in betweenAl Hudaydah in Yemen andTiyo in Eritrea. These readings implied the continuous burning of the ship and its petroleum cargo, as well as prolonged damage to the ship following the three large explosions.[1]
United States Department of State spokesmanMatthew Miller stated that the damage to the ship could spill "a millionbarrels of oil into the Red Sea, an amount four times that in theExxon Valdez disaster".[2][30] On 27 August,The Pentagon reported that the tanker appeared to be leaking oil, and was still on fire since the Houthi-conducted explosions on 22 August.[31]
Initial attempts by two third-party boats to pull the tanker to shore were repelled by Houthi militants threatening to attack them.[31] On 28 August, Iran's envoy to theUnited Nations announced that the Houthis agreed to a "temporary truce" to allow tugboats and rescue boats to reach the tanker. The Houthis said that no truce was established but that they would allow for the tanker to be rescued due to humanitarian and environmental concerns.[32]
On 31 August, Houthis said thattugboats were expected to start towing the tanker on 1 September.[33]
Thesalvage operation of the tanker started on 2 September 2024.[34] The operation was abandoned shortly after due to unsafe conditions, according to Operation Aspides. Aspides added that "alternative solutions" were being considered without providing further details.[35]
On 12 September 2024, theGreek Coast Guard announced that two tugboats from Piraeus escorted by a Greek and French warship were near the tanker and would start towing it that week.[36][37] A new effort to salvage the tanker started on 14 September 2024.[38] The tanker was slowly towed northwards after a salvage team secured it to the Greek-flagged tugboatAigaion Pelagos, despite temperatures of up to 400 °F (204 °C) due to the fire.[39] Aspides announced thatSounion was safely towed away from Yemen on 16 September.[40] The rescue operation involved over 200 personnel and the fires took three weeks to extinguish. Aspides forces initially towed the tanker 150 miles (240 km) north, before moving her toSuez for offloading. In January 2025, maritime security organization Ambrey announced thatSounion's cargo was successfully removed and the ship was declared safe.[41]
Houthi spokespersonYahya Saree, posted a video claiming that theYemeni Navy had destroyedSounion, and stating that the motive for destroying the ship was the company violating Houthi-imposed restrictions on the use of Israeli ports, which were referred to as the ports of "occupied Palestine".[2]
The Pentagon strongly condemned the Houthi movement for deliberately targeting the abandoned oil tanker and knowingly creating a severe environmental disaster that could significantly affect Yemen and the livelihood of its citizens. Pentagon administratorSabrina Singh stated in response to the attacks, "What exactly does this accomplish? They said they were launching these attacks to help the people of Gaza, not sure how that helps anyone in Gaza."[25]
Matthew Miller, speaking on behalf of the United States Department of State, said on 24 August that the Houthis appeared "determined to sink the ship and its cargo into the sea" and that they were "willing to destroy thefishing industry and regional ecosystems that Yemenis and other communities in the region rely on for their livelihoods." He called upon the Houthis to stop these actions and for other countries to intervene in order to prevent further environmental damage to the region.[2][30]
The challenge has long been that Iran, which provides technology and crucial parts for the Houthis' missiles and drones, will continue to urge its proxy to carry out attacks regardless of US strikes. Iran is not deterred by attacks on its proxies. But it remains to be seen what it will take to deter the Houthis from continuing to be involved in Iran's proxy war against the United States and its allies.
But the vast majority of the vessels they have attacked are neither Israeli nor destined for the country. That has drawn the ire of countries in the Indian Ocean, including India and Sri Lanka...
Many of the vessels attacked by the Houthis have had no known connection to Israel.
Many Houthi attacks on commercial vessels have not appeared discriminate or linked to stated demands. Since October 17, the Houthis have attacked commercial and naval vessels more than 60 times (Figure 1)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
