BAKU. Azerbaijan. August 25. The State Department press service noted that Washington is "extremely concerned" about the Houthi strike on the ship, Trend reports.
The US believes that the attack on the Sounion tanker, for which Yemen's Houthis from the Ansar Allah rebel movement claimed responsibility, threatens an environmental catastrophe. This was stated in a statement released on Saturday by the State Department press service.
According to the document, Washington is "extremely concerned" about the Houthi attack on the tanker. "The Houthi rebels' continued attacks threaten to spill millions of barrels of oil into the Red Sea - four times more than the Exxon Valdez disaster," the statement said.
According to the US, "the Houthis have made it clear that they intend to destroy the fishing industry and the regional ecosystem just as they have disrupted the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region". "We call on the Houthis to immediately cease these actions and call on other countries to take action to prevent this environmental disaster," the statement said.
The Sounion, a Greek-flagged tanker sailing through the Red Sea, was attacked early on August 21. The incident occurred 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni city of Hodeida, the Royal Navy's Maritime Trade Coordination Centre said. Two boats with about 15 armed men on board approached the ship. There was an exchange of fire between them and the ship's crew, then the tanker was hit by three unidentified projectiles and lost control. The captain later notified the Central Control Centre of another attack, which resulted in a fire on board the vessel.