Houthis Release New Footage On Tanker Explosion; Satellite Imagery Suggests Oil Leak Has Begun 

Iran-backed Houthi militants published new footage showing rebel forces commandeering Greek-flagged oil tanker MV Sounion about 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. 

Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for the Houthis, posted the footage on X on Thursday, showing heavily armed masked men moving around the Suezmax tanker—the largest type of oil tanker capable of transiting the Suez Canal—and setting it ablaze.

“Scenes of the storming and burning of the Greek ship (SOUNION) in the Red Sea, whose owner company violated the decision to ban entry to the ports of occupied Palestine,” Saree wrote on X. 

مشاهد اقتحام وإحراق السفينة اليونانية (SOUNION) في البحر الأحمر والتي قامت الشركة المالكة لها بانتهاك قرار حظر الدخول إلى موانئ فلسطين المحتلة. pic.twitter.com/yGKgUNaIuh

— العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) August 29, 2024

It’s unclear when the footage was taken. The initial attack was on August 21, when missiles and drones paralyzed the tanker carrying 150,000 tons of crude. 

X account Open Source Intel posted a Maxar satellite image from Thursday that shows Sounion ablaze. According to the account, the tanker “has begun leaking oil.”

Maxar Satellite Image from Aug 29th: The tanker Sounion, which was attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea, has begun leaking oil. pic.twitter.com/eImeHNL8Eh

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 30, 2024

On Tuesday, US Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, warned about the risks of a major ecological disaster looming in the Red Sea with the tanker on fire. 

“These are simply reckless acts of terrorism which continue to destabilize global and regional commerce, put the lives of innocent civilian mariners at risk and imperil the vibrant maritime ecosystem in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis’ own backyard,” Ryder said.

To put it in perspective, Sounion is hauling 150,000 tons of crude—a little more than four times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez in 1989. 

Another Houthi spokesperson, Mohammed Abdulsalam, was quoted by Reuters earlier this week as saying salvage efforts were underway, and tugboats and rescue ships were permitted into the region to support the crippled tanker. 

Abdulsalam noted there was no temporary truce and only agreed to allow salvage efforts to occur after talks with several international groups. 

Here’s the latest reporting on the Sounion crisis:

• Commercial Vessel “Not Under Command” After Red Sea Attack

• Suezmax Tanker Crew Forced To Abandon Ship After Missile Attack In Red Sea

• Red Sea Crisis: Footage Captures Suezmax Tanker Explosion After Houthi Missile Strike As West Fails To Secure Chokepoint

• US Warns Tanker Hit By Houthis Could Cause Largest Ship Oil Spill In History

All of this Red Sea chaos signifies one thing, as former Navy Seal and Blackwater founder Erik Prince recently explained on X: America’s “credibility and deterrence” are quickly eroding. 

Where is the rightful outrage from environmentalists? Thousands of tons of crude oil will now pour into the Red Sea.
This is a clear sign of the collapse of American credibility and deterrence. Letting the Iranian proxy Houthis shut off a major maritime seaway is an epic fail.… https://t.co/ThmzZ5FAED

— ErikDPrince (@realErikDPrince) August 24, 2024

Great job, Biden-Harris. Your incompetence projects weakness to the world.