Specialist salvage teams are set to renew efforts to remove a blazing oil tanker that’s been stuck in the Red Sea for over three weeks after it was attacked by Houthi militants, the European Union naval force in the region said.
The Houthis attacked the Sounion tanker as it sailed to Greece laden with heavy Iraqi oil, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The rebels then set off explosives on its deck. The EU force is ready to “facilitate a new salvage operation” by protecting the ships that will tow the vessel, it said on X.
A notice on the Pakistan Navy’s Hydrographic Service’s website said the salvage operation would commence on the afternoon of September 13. It advised ships to keep a wide berth of five nautical miles.
On 12 September, the MV SOUNION remains on fire after it was attacked in the Red Sea. The vessel is currently anchored, not drifting and there are no signs of an oil spill from the main cargo hold.
To prevent an environmental disaster, it is essential that public, private… pic.twitter.com/jDYZkUNa6s
— EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) September 13, 2024
The Sounion was attacked August 21, and remains ablaze. A previous effort to rescue the ship was abandoned on concern towing wouldn’t be successful.
The EU also said there’s no sign of an oil spill from the vessel’s cargo hold. Greece and the U.S. previously said there were indications of a leak, though that could be from the ship’s fuel tanks rather than its cargo.
