Burning Red Sea oil tanker unsafe to tow

AFP | Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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An operation to tow away a burning oil tanker attacked by Yemeni rebels in the Red Sea is too hazardous to proceed, a European Union naval mission said yesterday, warning of severe environmental risks.

The Greek-flagged oil tanker, Sounion, was hit by Yemen’s Iranbacked Huthis off the coast of Hodeida on August 21 while carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil.

“The private companies responsible for the salvage operation have concluded that the conditions were not met to conduct the towing operation and that it was not safe to proceed,” the mission said in a statement on X. “Alternative solutions are now being explored by the private companies.”

The EU’s Aspides mission, which is protecting the tugs involved in the operation, said it aimed to avoid an “unprecedented environmental disaster in the region”.

The United States has also warned of a potential ecological catastrophe involving one million barrels of oil, four times more than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska. Last week the Huthis released a video of masked men placing explosives on the Sounion and detonating them, causing several fires on board.

Aspides, which was formed in February to guard merchant shipping in the Red Sea following dozens of Huthi attacks, earlier said multiple fires were still ablaze. “Several fires continue to burn on the vessel’s main deck,” it said, noting there were “no visible signs of an oil spill”.

Saudi ship ‘not targeted’

The Sounion’s crew, made up of 23 Filipinos and two Russians, was rescued the day after the attack by a French frigate serving with Aspides. The Huthi rebels launched their campaign against international shipping in November, saying it is in support of Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.

With scores of drone and missile attacks, purportedly targeting Israel-linked vessels, they have damaged several ships, killed or wounded multiple sailors and seriously disrupted global shipping.