Greece’s Delta Tankers’ refusal to avoid the Red Sea has seen a third ship in its fleet come under attack today, the first confirmed Houthi strikes in eight days.
According to security firm Vanguard, the tanker Sounion, owned and managed by Delta Tankers, was attacked 77 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, Yemen, in the early hours of the morning. The vessel is now disabled, reporting it is not under command.
Earlier this month, the Houthis attacked the Delta Tankers-owned Delta Blue four times in the space of 24 hours with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Fortunately, the attacks caused no injuries or physical damage.
Vanguard stated that the possible reason for the targeting of Delta Tankers is their affiliation to vessels which have recently called in Israel. According to the security firm, the Delta Star called in Israel in July.
There have been no Houthi attacks since last Tuesday when they pursued an unidentified individual ship for 12 hours and attacked it three times.
Vanguard said the 163,759 dwt tanker was approached by two small craft with three to five and 10 people on board respectively.
The two small craft hailed the merchant vessel, leading to a brief exchange of small arms fire. The distance between the small craft and the merchant vessel subsequently increased to two nautical miles.
At 5 am local time, the master reported that two unidentified projectiles had struck the vessel before being hit by a third projectile. Smoke was reported in the engine room as well as one minor injury to a crewmember. The ship has since come under a fourth attack and is not in a good condition.
Ambrey, another security firm, has advised merchant ships to remain at least five nautical miles from the vicinity and to report anything suspicious.