Crude oil-filled and aflame, the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion adrift in the Red Sea now poses a significant environmental threat one day after rescuers evacuated its crew of 25 in the wake of an assault by Houthis.
Successful Salvage Operation of the Greek-Flagged Tanker "Sounion" after Attack in Yemen Waters
— Djibouti Ports & Free Zones Authority (@dpfza) August 23, 2024
Last night at 10:00 PM, the Ports and Free Zones Authority successfully coordinated the salvage operation of the Greek-flagged tanker "Sounion" following an attack west of Hodeidah,… pic.twitter.com/uPfoFyPaVq
The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, first damaged the tanker last week with repeated attacks that caused a fire and a loss of engine power. The Houthis then posted a video on social media that purportedly showed them setting the tanker on fire.
The damaged tanker carries 150,000 metric tonnes of crude oil.
“A potential spill could lead to disastrous consequences for the region’s marine environment,” the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority wrote on X.
The company who owns the tanker, Delta Tankers said it “is doing everything it can to move the vessel (and cargo).”
Data from August 25 from Sentinel-2 Satelitte shows the Oil Tanker Sounion is still burning. https://t.co/7sl8JgJn6e pic.twitter.com/fxRqxcKX3y
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) August 25, 2024
Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked the tanker because Delta Tankers’ violated their 10-month campaign against commercial “entry to the ports of occupied Palestine.”
Sounion was the third vessel operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers to come under Houthi attack this month.
Source: ABC News.
