The Houthis launched another attack on oil tankers in the Red Sea. Missiles and drones hit a ship carrying Russian oil, as well as a nearby tanker carrying Saudi oil.
The Houthis announced an attack on the Blue Lagoon I oil tanker. According to a representative of the Yemeni Armed Forces in X, the operation was carried out with a sufficient number of missiles and drones. The Houthis said that the owner of the tanker was violating the ban on entering Palestinian ports.
The information was confirmed by the US Central Command (Centcom), but it added that missiles and drones also hit a tanker truck that was passing nearby.
“On the morning of September 2, the Iran-backed Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers, the Panama-flagged and Greek-owned MV BLUE LAGOON I and the Saudi-flagged MV AMJAD, with two ballistic missiles and a one-way unmanned system, hitting both vessels. Both vessels are loaded with crude oil. MV AMJAD is carrying around two million barrels of oil.” – says Centcom.
The Blue Lagoon I tanker was heading from the Russian port of Ust-Luga to Asia and even indicated on the AIS that it was sailing with a Russian crew. But it did not help. The tanker was not the first ship carrying Russian oil to be attacked by the Houthis.
The rebels have repeatedly misrepresented that the tankers are changing ownership and that the Red Sea is traversed mainly by grey fleet vessels belonging to unknown companies and transporting Russian oil in a way that circumvents sanctions.
The second tanker, Amjad, in turn, is carrying Saudi oil and was heading to the Egyptian terminal near the Suez Canal, where the raw material will be fed into the pipeline and reloaded onto tankers in the Mediterranean Sea for delivery to Europe.
One of gCaptain’s sources said Amjad was unlikely to be a direct target.
According to the publication, both tankers suffered minimal damage and continued on their way. Unlike the Sounion tanker of the Greek company Delta Tankers, which has been burning in the Red Sea for the tenth day. It was transporting Iraqi oil to Greece and there are 1 million barrels of oil in the tanks.
The EU military operation information centre in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf (EUNAFOR ASPIDES) has announced that the rescue operation for the tanker will begin shortly.
Since October last year, the Houthis have been attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in response to Israel’s operation in the Gaza Strip. They say they are targeting those associated with Israel. Since then, most of the fleet has abandoned the shortest route between Europe and Asia and is sailing around Africa.
