Russian oil tankers attacked by the Houthis with missiles and drones in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since December last year escaped safely. The ships continue transporting.
Since December last year, the Houthis have attacked at least seven tankers carrying Russian oil, between 700,000 and 1.2 million barrels each, with drones and missiles in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis said the tankers belonged to Greek or British companies that violated their ban on entering Palestinian ports.
The Houthis often used unverified information. According to the US Central Command, the crews of the attacked tankers reported damage, but did not seek help.
According to AIS data from the vessels, all tankers continue to carry oil today. Furthermore, three of them are owned and operated by Greek shipowners, and four by little-known companies from China, Seychelles and Mauritius. The latter are traditionally called gray fleet.
Then, in December, an attack drone attacked Sai Baba in the Red Sea. Since then, the ship has continued to carry Russian oil and is now sailing from Murmansk to China. Also heading there with a cargo of raw materials are the oil tankers Andromeda Star and Freda (Huang Pu), which were attacked by the Houthis in April and March. Pollux, in turn, heads from Ust-Luga to Suez. The tanker was hit in February.
Wind is on its return flight from Indian Siki, Chios Lion is in a Turkish port near the Bosphorus Strait awaiting an order, and Blue Lagoon I is sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Europe around Africa. These tankers were attacked in May, July and September.
At the same time, the US Central Command reported to Wind that the missile attack caused flooding, as a result of which the propulsion system and steering were stopped.
“The coalition ship immediately responded to Wind’s distress call, but did not require assistance. The tanker’s crew was able to restore the propulsion system and steering, and no injuries were reported. The wind resumed its movement under its own power.” – Centcom reported.
After Israel began its operation in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis began attacking ships in the Red Sea, and since December, most oil tankers have abandoned the shortest route between Europe from Asia and the Middle East for a shorter route. long around Africa. Russian oil transportation through the Red Sea has been preserved, carried out mainly by gray fleet vessels. Transportation of Saudi oil and individual voyages of other tankers also continue. The Houthis said they were attacking ships linked to Israel or whose owners violated their ban on entering Palestinian ports.
The largest number of tanker-related emergencies in the Red Sea occurred in August. Then, the tanker Sounion of the Greek company Delta Tankers was attacked by the Houthis. This ship also carries Russian oil, but this time it was carrying cargo from Iraq to Europe. Due to the attack, a fire broke out on the ship’s deck and the crew abandoned the tanker. At first, Sounion was not extinguished for fear of a new attack by the Houthis. But it was then towed to a safer location in the Red Sea and the firefighting continues to this day. A tanker full of oil is 40 miles from Eritrea.
In early October, the Houthis attacked the Cordelia Moon oil tanker with an unmanned attack boat. He was returning after delivering Russian oil to Sika, India. The crew failed to destroy the drone with machine guns and it crashed into the side and exploded. However, according to the ships’ AIS data, after a 24-hour pause, the tanker continued its journey towards the Suez Canal.
