The Greek tanker was attacked off the coast of Yemen from ships and from the air. The ship is unmanageable

The incident happened about 140 kilometers west of the Yemeni port of Hudaydah. It is under the control of the Houthis, the Yemeni rebels who have been attacking merchant ships on the main sea route for nine months.

Two smaller vessels with about 15 people on board first approached the tanker and a brief exchange of small arms fire began, he said UKMTO. The tanker also received three aerial hits. Part of the ship, according to the notice, was caught on fire.

“Vessel reports unmanageable. No casualties were reported,” UKMTO said. Greece’s maritime ministry said the ship was damaged and confirmed that none of the crew, including two Russians and 23 Filipinos, were injured. Ambrey, a company British private maritime security, also reported on the same incident in the area.

Delta Tanker, which operates the tanker Sounion, to the group Reuters confirmed that the ship had been targeted by a “hostile incident” in the Red Sea and suffered minor damage. “The crew and vessel are safe and sound. The vessel is currently in distress while the crew assesses the damage before continuing the voyage,” the company said.

According to the marine website Marine Traffic the 274 meter long oil tanker Sounion was going from Basra, Iraq to Singapore.

The Iran-backed and armed Shiite rebels, the Houthis, control large areas of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and much of the Red Sea coast. It has been attacking commercial shipping on the main route through the Suez Canal since last November, saying it is doing so as part of its so-called “Axis of Resistance” to support to the Palestinians in the Gaza war and that it will only attack ships bound to Israel, the US or Britain.

However, many of the ships attacked have little to do with the conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist movement. Several shipping companies now prefer the longer and more expensive route around southern Africa.

According to data from the AP group, since the start of their campaign, the Houthis have hit more than 80 ships with missiles or drones, captured one ship and sunk two. Four sailors lost their lives during their campaign. Missiles and other drones missed the target or were neutralized by the naval forces of the United States and Great Britain, which also responded to the numerous attacks by the terrorists by hitting their positions in Yemen.