A FRENCH DESTROYER MANAGED TO RESCUE 29 SAILORS FROM THE GREEK OIL TANKER ATTACKED BY THE HOUTHI REBELS

The attack on an Athens based Oil Tanker named Sounion vessel was reported by TAT Newsdesk on 22nd Aug, 2024. Fortunately for the crew, the intervention by a French Destroyer was a god send. They were rescued and taken to the EU Mission at Djibouti Port. The vessel has been anchored in Red Sea.

Amongst the crew, there were Filipino and Russian nationals, including four private security personnel. Besides rescuing, the French Naval Ship also destroyed a bomb-carrying drone boat in the area. The mission confirmed that the Sounion is loaded with 150,000 tons of crude oil aboard and represents a "navigational and environmental hazard.”

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman in a prerecorded statement late Thursday night claimed the attack, as well as another attempted attack Wednesday. “The ship was accurately and directly hit while sailing in the Red Sea and is at risk of sinking, thanks to God,” he said. Houthi Rebels charged towards the Sounion on two small boats, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida and opened fire with small arms.

Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas ruled Gaza began in October 2023, 80 attacks on ships belonging to different countries, have been carried out in the Red Sea by Yemen based Iran-backed Houthi Rebels on Ships from many countries. Naval efforts from many countries have failed to contain the Houthi rebels. They continue to disrupt the maritime routes passing through the Red Sea.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.