Dramatic footage has surfaced on X showing what appears to be an unmanned suicide surface drone smashing into the side of a crude tanker on Monday about 100 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah. 

Reuters reports the Liberia-flagged oil tanker Chios Lion was hit on its portside by an unmanned watercraft, adding there is a potential risk of an oil spill. 

“While originally headed south, following the attack the vessel turned around and back north out of the threat area to further assess damage and investigate potential oil spillage,” the Joint Maritime Information Center wrote in a statement.

Houthis published footage of the attack on X. 

VIDEO OF THE DAY: The Houthis of Yemen have released a propaganda video of their attack against the oil tanker MT Chios Lion using an uncrewed surface vessel (USV). The oil tanker suffered minor damage and the crew is safe | #OOTT pic.twitter.com/CdMr1kz26v

— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) July 16, 2024

Intel firm Conflict and Environment Observatory wrote on X that satellite imagery shows Chios Lion likely suffered damage during the attack, resulting in an oil slick. 

Yesterday’s #Sentinel2 imagery in proximity to the reported #Houthi strike on the #ChiosLion oil tanker in the #RedSea off #Yemen suggests that the damaged vessel was releasing oil. The apparent slick is 220km long https://t.co/SueseALWlo #OOTT pic.twitter.com/5WQ8MC8URM

— Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS) (@ceobs_org) July 17, 2024

The Houthis have been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war. This comes as the Biden administration’s efforts to ensure freedom of navigation via Operation Prosperity Guardian continue to fail on the critical maritime chokepoint.