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Houthis Strike Oil-Laden Transport Ship
Published 3 months ago
This video, released by a Houthi media outlet, shows the M/T Sounion erupting in flames. Frame-by-frame analysis suggests three simultaneous explosions, which infers that this footage shows the Houthis attempting to scuttle the ship with planted charges. The initial attacks on the ship occurred on 22-23 August, and subsequent damage to the engine caused the crew- a mix of Filipinos and Russians and a small security complement- to abandon the Greek-flagged Sounion, assisted by a French military ship. Bearing 150,000 tons of crude oil, the Sounion represents a significant environmental and navigational hazard 77 miles off the coast of Yemen. It has been suggested, though not substantiated, that the reason such a large shipment of oil was sailing un-escorted because the oil in question is Russian. Delta Tankers, the owner of the Sounion, is on Ukraine's International Sponsors of War list for shipping Russian oil. Rather than declare their cargo, Delta ships decline military escort and thus make tempting targets, especially when coming to or from Israeli ports.