Attacks on the Sounion

August 2024 oil spill caused by attacks on the tanker Sounion
Map
LocationRed Sea, "77 nautical miles to the West of Al Hudaydah"
Coordinates14°59′24.468″N 41°39′17.28″E / 14.99013000°N 41.6548000°E / 14.99013000; 41.6548000[1]
Date22 August 2024
Cause
CauseDestruction of the oil tanker Sounion by Houthi militants
OperatorDelta Tankers
Spill characteristics
VolumeUp to 150,000 tons (~1 million barrels) of petroleum

The attacks on the MT Sounion refers to Houthi attacks on a Greek-registered oil tanker and the resulting spillage of crude oil into the Red Sea, that at the time of the spill was carrying approximately 150,000 tons of petroleum cargo. 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 the European Union Aspides military task force stated posed a severe environmental risk to the complex biodiversity of the marine region.[2]

  1. ^ "NASA Worldview". worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  2. ^ Wright, Robert (24 August 2024). "Attack on oil tanker in Red Sea threatens 'severe ecological disaster'". Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-09-10.