Tanker carrying Russian oil to China attacked by Houthi sea drone

Yemen’s Houthi rebels continued their attacks in the Red Sea, attacking two tankers within 24 hours, including a ship carrying Russian oil believed to be headed to Asia, where China is the region’s largest buyer.

Monday’s attacks come as Western sanctions hit the Russian economy over the invasion of Ukraine. Exporting crude oil to friendly countries has become crucial for the Kremlin to sustain its war economy. China has been the largest importer since December 2022, buying 53 percent of Russian crude exported.

Newsweek has emailed the Foreign Ministries of Russia and China for comment.

The Houthis launched an unmanned surface vessel that attacks MT Chios Liona Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker owned by the Marshall Islands and operated by Greece, according to a statement from the US military’s Central Command on Tuesday.

Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian and associate professor of history at Campbell University in North Carolina, wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the tanker was en route to Asia, carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil from the Russian Black Sea port of Tuapse, the independent Russian news portal The Moscow Times reported.

The Chios Lion crossed the Bosporus Strait southwards on July 4, left the Black Sea and headed for the Mediterranean Sea, a ship observer in Turkey reported.

The Houthis released a video on Tuesday that allegedly showed the attack on the Chios LionAn unmanned surface vessel is seen ramming the tanker, causing a huge fireball. The attack occurred 100 nautical miles northwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

However, the image of the unmanned watercraft is blurred in the video. Newsweek could not independently verify the footage.

The Chios Lion The ship suffered minor damage to its port side and changed course from south to north to assess the damage and investigate a possible oil spill, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing the Joint Maritime Information Center.

The Houthis also attacked MT Bentley Continentala Panamanian-flagged, Israeli-owned and Monaco-controlled tanker carrying Russian vegetable oil bound for China, the US military said.

In the first round of attacks, the rebels used three surface ships, one unmanned surface ship and two small boats; in the second round, they used an anti-ship ballistic missile.

According to MarineTraffic, a website that tracks ships worldwide, the Bentley I’s destination is Shanghai, China. It left the Russian port of Taman in the Black Sea on July 4 and is expected to arrive on August 4.

The Russian Agriculture Ministry said in May that Russia accounted for 58.4 percent of China’s vegetable oil imports in the first quarter of the year. The country increased its vegetable oil exports to its quasi-ally by 18.2 percent to 578,300 tons.

No casualties were reported at the time of the announcement, US Central Command added. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks and said they were responding to the Israeli bombing of the Gaza city of Khan Younis on Saturday.

Yemeni rebels began attacking the international trade route after war broke out between Israel and Hamas in October last year. The United States and several European countries sent warships to protect civilian vessels sailing in the Red Sea.

Bloomberg reported in March that the Houthis had told China and Russia that their ships could sail through the Red Sea without damage. Iran supports the rebels, while both Moscow and Beijing have close ties with Tehran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also reportedly considering supplying the Houthis with anti-ship missiles.