Home / Shipping News / International Shipping News / A Houthi attack on Chios Lion oil tanker leaves 40km oil slick in Red Sea

A Houthi attack on Chios Lion oil tanker leaves 40km oil slick in Red Sea

n attack using explosive drone boats and aerial drones has caused a 40km oil slick in the Red Sea, satellite images revealed on Wednesday.

The Chios Ray, a Liberia-flagged oil tanker carrying a cargo of crude oil from Russia, was shown in a video released by the group on Tuesday evening, which showed catastrophic damage to the ship as explosive drone boats rammed into its side.

The attack was part of a swarm of strikes by the Houthis on the vessel and another ship sailing around 185 kilometres north-west of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.

Initial reports suggested the Chios Lion weathered the initial attack with minimal damage.

While originally headed south, following the attack the vessel turned around and back north out of the threat area to further assess damage and investigate potential oil spillage,” said the Joint Maritime Information Centre, a press office for the international coalition trying to safeguard the waterway and counter Houthi attacks.

It said the captain and crew were safe.

Wim Zwijnenburg, an expert on the environmental impact of conflict, said the spill will “likely cause the biggest impact from coastal pollution as the oil does not dilute easily, thus affecting the marine life on the shore”.

The Red Sea, transit point for about 12 per cent of maritime trade, is home to unique coral reefs.

“The area is facing frequent pollution from marine traffic passing through, including dumping of wastewater and attacks like these just add to an accumulation of pollutants in a fragile ecosystem,” he told The National.

Mr Zwijnenburg identified the impact of the strike on Wednesday using publicly available satellite imagery.

The oil spill from the Houthi drone boat on the CHIOS LION is clearly visible on satellite imagery, showing an 40km oil slick near Egypt’s shorelines, another major spill occurring the Red Sea over the past years.

The Houthi campaign is also taking a heavy toll on global commerce.

On Wednesday, a major international shipping company said Houthi attacks had disrupted its shipping via the Red Sea to its entire ocean network.

AP Moller-Maersk said in a statement: “The cascading impact of these disruptions extends beyond the primary affected routes, causing congestion at alternative routes and trans-shipment hubs essential for trade with Far East Asia, West Central Asia, and Europe.”

Maersk and other shipping companies have diverted vessels around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope since December to avoid attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea, with the longer voyage times pushing freight rates higher.

Asian exports are more impacted by the situation than Asian imports, Maersk said, adding that this is primarily due to Asian countries being major global exporters.
Maersk said ocean cargo demand remains robust globally, with air freight, including a sea-air solution being used as an alternative where time-sensitive goods need to be moved quickly.
Source: The National News

Recent Videos

Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and International Shipping
error: Content is protected !!
×