US Warns Leaking Tanker Poses Growing Red Sea Pollution Risk (1)

An abandoned oil tanker attacked in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels a week ago appears to be burning and leaking, raising the specter of environmental disaster, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday.

The comments are the latest to underscore what the European Union’s navy in the region described as an imminent environmental hazard and a potentially severe ecological disaster.

The 900-foot Sounion was hauling 150,000 tons of dense Iraqi crude oil when it was disabled by Houthi militants last week. The crew were rescued and on Friday further fires were spotted on board. Yemen’s Houthi militants subsequently released ...