Dramatic Footage Shows Oil Tanker Hit By Kamikaze Boat Drone In Red Sea
Dramatic footage has surfaced on X showing what appears to be an unmanned suicide surface drone smashing into the side of a crude tanker on Monday about 100 nautical miles northwest of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah.
Reuters reports the Liberia-flagged oil tanker Chios Lion was hit on its portside by an unmanned watercraft, adding there is a potential risk of an oil spill.
"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," the Joint Maritime Information Center wrote in a statement.
Houthis published footage of the attack on X.
VIDEO OF THE DAY: The Houthis of Yemen have released a propaganda video of their attack against the oil tanker MT Chios Lion using an uncrewed surface vessel (USV). The oil tanker suffered minor damage and the crew is safe | #OOTT pic.twitter.com/CdMr1kz26v
— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) July 16, 2024
Intel firm Conflict and Environment Observatory wrote on X that satellite imagery shows Chios Lion likely suffered damage during the attack, resulting in an oil slick.
Yesterday's #Sentinel2 imagery in proximity to the reported #Houthi strike on the #ChiosLion oil tanker in the #RedSea off #Yemen suggests that the damaged vessel was releasing oil. The apparent slick is 220km long https://t.co/SueseALWlo #OOTT pic.twitter.com/5WQ8MC8URM
— Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS) (@ceobs_org) July 17, 2024
"The Houthis will continue attacks that rattle commercial shipping in the Red Sea as they are buoyed by several ongoing factors, including their own view that attacks to date have forced massive maritime distortions, a belief that ongoing talks with Saudi Arabia - backed by threats to resume attacks on the kingdom - are a source of leverage, and their unwavering commitment to remaining the strongest political and military actor in Yemen...In the coming days to weeks, the US and Israel will start to stress-test Houthi resilience with more meaningful military actions, underscoring why the market may have to price in more geopolitical risk in crude the coming days to weeks," Rapidan Energy Group's Scott Modell stated.
The Houthis have been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war. This comes as the Biden administration's efforts to ensure freedom of navigation via Operation Prosperity Guardian continue to fail on the critical maritime chokepoint.