DUBAI/ATHENS — The crew of Greek-flagged oil tanker the Sounion that was attacked in the Red Sea abandoned the vessel and were taken to Djbouti by the EU’s Red Sea naval mission “Aspides”, an official in the mission told Reuters on Thursday. The tanker, with a listed capacity of 163,759 MT , was the third vessel operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers to be attacked in the Red Sea this month. The Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea region since November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
S ounion, fully loaded with crude oil, was now anchored between Yemen and Eritrea, the Apsides official and a maritime security source told Reuters. The Yemen-based Houthis have yet to claim responsibility for t he attack on the Sounion, which was h it by multiple projectiles about 77 nautical miles west of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday, leading to a fire onboard and loss of engine power. The EU Red Sea naval mission said it responded to a request from the shipping company and the captain of the vessel and dispatched a unit to provide protection to it and rescue the crew, made up of two Russians and 23 Filipinos, the Aspides official said.
“During the approach to the incident area, in the morning hours of Aug. 22, a USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle) was successfully neutralized as it posed a threat to the MV SOUNION and its crew,” the official added. British security firm .