Another violent and highly dangerous attack on a ship in the lower Red Sea has taken place, leaving the crude oil tanker Chios Lion damaged and at risk of a possible oil leak.
A dramatic video was issued by the Houthis in Yemen showing an explosion on the port side of the 244-metre long tanker identified as Chios Lion (IMO 9398280). The attack on Monday 15 July 2024 highlights the danger facing virtually any merchant (or naval) ship sailing in the lower Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, or even further distant in the northwestern Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea).
The Liberian-flagged Chios Lion was just one of the ships attacked this week and reported by the UKMTO and other observers. Damage to the tanker’s port hull was reported as not serious, although the size of the blast made it initially look more damaging with possible oil leaks.
The explosion came from a waterborne drone (USV) that struck the side of the tanker. Several manned craft were also involved in the attack and the tanker came under fire from Houthis on board. “The vessel conducted self-protection measures, after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) reported afterwards.
After assessing the damage the Chios Lion turned about and headed back north to move out of the danger zone. There were no injuries to crew.
Chios Lion departed from the Russian port of Tuapse on 2 July and was heading south, probably to India though that has not been confirmed.
Second tanker
A second tanker, the 176-metre Bentley I (IMO 9253129) also came under attack about 100 nautical miles from where Chios Lion was sailing. Damage appears to be slight on this vessel and with no injuries to crew, although several USVs and missiles targeted the tanker, according to the Houthis.
The previous week saw the Houthis launch one of their longest-range attacks when they targeted the US-flagged container ship, Maersk Sentosa (IMO 9315202), using drones and missiles. The 87,618-dwt, 6,478-TEU Maersk Sentosa was then sailing in the Arabian Sea. The boxship suffered no damage or injuries to crew.
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is due to arrive in the Middle East to replace the USS Dwight D Eisenhower which has returned to the United States after a lengthy period on duty including conducting airstrike operations against Houthi positions and helping defend commercial shipping.
Written by Africa Ports & Ships and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.
