Oil tanker in the Persian Gulf (archive)
Oil tanker in the Persian Gulf (archive)iStock

The Greek-flagged crude oil tanker Sounion has been on fire in the Red Sea since August 23 after an attack by Yemen's Houthis with no obvious signs of an oil spill, the EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides said on Monday, according to the Reuters news agency.

The EU mission published photos dated Sunday showing fire and smoke coming out of the vessel's main deck.

The Sounion is carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil and poses an environmental hazard, shipping officials said. Aspides said part of Sounion's superstructure was on fire and that flames were observed in at least five locations on the vessel's main deck.

The Houthis claimed last week’s attack on the Sounion, saying it "belongs to a company that has ties with the Israeli enemy" and said it was "accurately and directly hit" with drones and missiles.

On Friday, the Houthis released video footage showing the oil tanker burning in the Red Sea after their attack.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have upped their attacks in the region since the start of the war in Gaza, having launched drones towards southern Israel and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region.

In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis.

In mid-January, with support from other countries, the US and Britain targeted just under 30 Houthi locations with 150 different weapons. They have since carried out several rounds of strikes against Houthi targets.

The Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes, saying that the campaign against the "Zionist enemy" will continue and that the attacks against the American and British ships will not stop.