Oil slick in Yemen after Huthi tanker attack: charity. July 19, 2024

A picture obtained from Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah Media Center shows what they say is the targeting of the CHIOS LION, a Liberian-flagged oil tanker, by unmanned surface ships in the Red Sea on July 15, 2024. AFP

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Oil slick in Yemen after Huthi tanker attack: charity

Dubai, July 17 (AFP) July 18, 2024

An oil slick stretching almost the entire coast of Yemen's Red Sea has been detected after a Huthi attack damaged a crude oil tanker, the Conflict and Environment Observatory said on Wednesday.

Satellite images from the European Space Agency showed the slick on Tuesday, near the site of the Huthi attack on the Chios Lion ship, said CEOBS, a UK charity that monitors the environmental impact of the conflict.

The apparent slick, measuring 220 kilometers (135 miles) in length, suggested that the "damaged ship was releasing oil," it said on the social media platform X.

The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Chios Lion was attacked 97 nautical miles northwest of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah on Monday, according to maritime security agencies.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that an unmanned surface vessel "impacted" the tanker, resulting in minor damage.

CEOBS said the oil slick began 106 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, a location consistent with Monday's attack on the Chios Lion.

An image posted by the charity showed what it said was an oil slick in the Red Sea, near the Farasan marine sanctuary off the coast of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, the Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a Western naval coalition, said the Chios Lion was investigating a possible oil spill after the Huthi attack.

The Huthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November, in a campaign they say is aimed at showing solidarity with the Palestinians amid the Gaza war.

In March, they sank a Belize-flagged ship operated by Lebanon that was carrying 21,000 tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer on board.

The incident sparked concerns that the leaking fuel and chemical pollutants could spread into the Red Sea, harming coral reefs and marine life.

"These continuous attacks on various oil, chemical, and cargo ships not only endanger maritime personnel and ship traffic in general but also seriously deteriorate the ecosystems of the Red Sea," said Wim Zwijnenburg of the Dutch peacebuilding group PAX

"The current attacks are an additional threat to Yemen's environment and coastal communities," he told AFP.

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