Greek vessel attacked by Houthis in Red Sea appears to be leaking oil, Pentagon warns

By Catherine Nicholls and Oren Liebermann, CNN

(CNN) — A Greek-flagged vessel attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea appears to be leaking oil, according to a Pentagon spokesperson, who warned of a “potential environmental catastrophe” in one of the world’s busiest waterways.

The Sounion came under a barrage of projectiles last week, after the Iran-backed group targeted the crude oil tanker as part of a months-long campaign on ships along the maritime route.

The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, say the attacks are in response to the Israeli offensive in Gaza – which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and laid waste to swathes of the strip.

The Israeli military launched its offensive after Hamas-led October 7 attacks on southern Israel left around 1,200 people killed and more than 250 abducted, according to Israeli authorities.

Images have emerged in recent days of bright orange balls of fire raging over the vessel. The Sounion is carrying about one million barrels of crude oil, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said on Tuesday.

The ship had been sailing from Iraq to Greece when it came under fire, according to Ryder. The entire crew of 23 Filipino and two Russian sailors have evacuated the carrier.

“The MV Delta Sounion now sits immobilized in the Red Sea where it is currently on fire and appears to be leaking oil, presenting both a navigational hazard and a potential environmental catastrophe,” said Ryder.

According to two US defense officials, the burning oil leak appears to be either fuel or engine oil from the vessel itself. The barrels of crude oil are not on fire, the officials said. But the major concern is that the ongoing fire could quickly spread and risk igniting the million barrels of crude oil.

The damage to the vessel poses a “navigational risk and a serious and imminent threat of regional pollution,” according to Eunavfor Aspides, a European Union defensive maritime security operation aimed at protecting merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf.

“There’s no oil spill, and the ship is still anchored and not drifting,” Eunavfor Aspides said in a post on X on Wednesday, adding that fires have been detected in several locations on the main deck.

The fires currently burning on the deck of the Sounion are unlikely to spread, according to another captain involved in maritime oil shipping who likened the situation to a gas stove: The fires on the ship are like the burners on the stove and are being fed by vapors in its cargo tanks. Because the gas inside the tanks is inert, and lacks oxygen, the fire isn’t likely to spread further, according to the source.

The easiest way to stop the fires on the deck is with a combination of foam and smothering, the captain said, adding that once the fires are put out, it becomes a routine oil salvage recovery.

Attacks by the Houthis have sunk at least two ships and killed three crew members in the Red Sea – which connects with the Suez Canal, a vital thoroughfare that accounts for 10-15% of world trade – according to Reuters.

The Houthis fired on the tanker because Delta Tankers breached its ban on “entry to the ports of occupied Palestine,” according to the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, Reuters reported.

The Iran-backed group will enact a “temporary truce” to allow rescue vessels to reach the area to extinguish the fire, the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations told CNN in a statement on Wednesday.

But the mission warned that “as long as the war in Gaza persists,” the Houthis will “continue to target oil tankers bound for the Israeli regime in the Red Sea” – referring to the group also known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God).

Earlier this year, leading shipping groups called on governments to put a stop to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, which has sent costs soaring as companies resorted to alternative cargo routes with longer travel times.

The US State Department urged the Houthis to cease attacks along the bustling shipping route and called on other nations to “step forward to help avert this environmental disaster.”

The biggest oil spill from a ship was recorded in 1979, when approximately 287,000 metric tons of oil ran from the Atlantic Empress after it crashed with another carrier in the Caribbean Sea during a storm, according to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation.

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CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian and Paul Murphy contributed reporting.