Greek tanker suffers "material damage" following attack in Red Sea off Yemen

Greece's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy has confirmed that a vessel operated by Greek shipping company Delta Tankers was the target of an attack in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on Wednesday, August 21.

The Greek-flagged Sounion, with a crew complement of 25 foreign nationals, was attacked while underway approximately 72 nautical miles off the port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday.

The tanker had earlier departed Iraq and was en route to Agioi Theodoroi when the incident occurred. The ministry said the ship suffered "material damage" but did not disclose the extent of the damage or the affected area on board.

The ministry assured that the crew are safe and that officials are in constant communication with all competent bodies. Although the attack occurred just off an area of Yemen controlled by the country's Houthi rebels, the ministry did not provide information on which parties were responsible.

The Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Christos Stylianides, has condemned the attack, which he said constitutes a flagrant violation of the rules of international law and a serious threat to the safety of international shipping. He also pointed out that such actions endanger the lives of seafarers and disrupt the free movement of goods through critical sea lanes.

Earlier this month, another Delta Tanker vessel had been attacked off Yemen. The Liberian-flagged Delta Blue was the target of four separate Houthi attacks, though none of these resulted in severe damage or injuries.