A tanker carrying 150,000 tonnes of oil has been damaged in the biggest attack on Red Sea shipping in weeks.
The Greek-flagged MV Sounion was reportedly hit by at least four projectiles as men in several small boats opened fire on the vessel about 90 miles off the coast of the Yemeni port city of Hodeida.
Officials said drones or missiles may have been used in the assault.
The attack on Wednesday caused a fire on board the tanker, which also lost power.
Its crew of 25 men were forced to abandon ship and were rescued by a French military vessel.
The MV Sounion then floated adrift, although officials confirmed on Thursday it had since been anchored.
A spokesperson for the EU’s Aspides military operation in the Red Sea warned on Thursday that the tanker posed an “environmental hazard” due to the amount of oil on board.
They added that its crews had also destroyed an unmanned drone boat in the area.
A still from a Houthi video purporting to show an attack on a Greek ship in the Red Sea in June. Pic: Reuters
Houthi officials in Yemen confirmed its forces targeted the Sounion, along with Panama-flagged ship the SW North Wind I, which suffered minor damage in a separate attack.
The group, which controls large areas of the country, has been targeting shipping in the region since last autumn in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to put pressure on Israel to end its assault in Gaza.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday: “From this week’s operations targeting ships violating blockade on vessels heading to Israel, a ship was adrift… after it malfunctioned because of strikes”.
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From July: Houthis attack oil tanker in Red Sea
The Greek shipping ministry said the vessel had been sailing from Iraq to Agioi Theodoroi in Greece with a crew of two Russians and 23 Filipinos.
Four private security personnel were also said to be on board.
Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianidis described the attack as “a flagrant violation of international law and a serious threat to the safety of international shipping”.
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Britain’s ambassador to Yemen Abda Sharif said: “Another Houthi attack threatens Yemen’s coastline, fishing industry and environmental catastrophe.”
Delta Tankers, which owns the Sounion, said it was working on plans to move the ship to a safer destination for further checks and repairs.
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From February: US and UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen
The targeting of shipping in the busy waterway has caused major disruption to the shipping industry and supply chains.
The price of oil rose nearly 2% during trading on Thursday, with the benchmark Brent crude rising in price to more than $77 (£59) a barrel after four days of declines.
It comes only weeks after shipping giant Maersk warned that it expected supply chain disruption in the Red Sea to continue until “at least until the end of 2024”.
The company has also forecasted it will achieve higher profits on the back of demand and the disruption.
Several other vessels have also been attacked in the Red Sea this month, including two other ships operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers.
Earlier this year the UK and US launched several bombing raids on Yemen as part of attempts – which have so far failed – to halt the attacks on shipping.
