The UK Navy said that three fires have been observed on a ship attacked in the Red Sea earlier this week.
The Sounion’s crew were evacuated from the ship in the past few days after the vessel was struck by multiple projectiles.
On Friday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations, which is a part of the country’s Navy, said that it received a report that three fires were observed on the vessel, which was attacked on Wednesday, and that the tanker appeared to be drifting.
The vessel was carrying 150,000 tons — about a million barrels — of Iraqi oil when it was attacked, and the European Union’s naval force in the region said it poses both a navigational and environmental risk.
“Delta Tankers is doing everything it can to move the vessel (and cargo),” the ship’s owner and operator said in a statement, before the UKMTO release on Friday, in response to questions about whether there had been a further incident. “For security reasons, we are not in a position to comment further.”
The company added that it was grateful for the assistance it received from the French navy.
Photograph: Merchant ships in the Red Sea. Photo credit: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg
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