A Mission to Foil the Environmental Hazards of the Blazing Sounion Tanker in the Red Sea

Soon enough, a rescue effort is scheduled to begin in order to retrieve an oil tanker licensed in Greece that became stuck after catching fire. Following an attack by Houthi rebels, the ship got stranded in the Red Sea. Approximately one million barrels of crude oil are loaded into the Greek tanker. According to maritime officials and the Houthi forces, the ship is stocked with bombs.

Should a leak happen, it may be one of the biggest from a tanker in human memory. It may result in a catastrophic ecological calamity at a location that is extremely hazardous to approach. An initial strategy of action was settled upon, with the mission scheduled to begin in 48 hours. Considering that Houthis had placed bombs on board, the mission was probably going to be complicated.

In a communication distributed yesterday, Greek administration stated that it had discovered a “potential spill” in the region. The pollution’s 2.2 nautical-mile length corresponded to the Sounion’s position in the Red Sea.

But according to a representative of the European Union’s ASPIDES naval surveillance mission, the engine of the ship, not the oil load within, might have leaked. The ASPIDES spokesman stated, “the possibility of a spill is from the ship’s engine after the first strike.”

Environmental Concerns

Athens appealed to all countries and parties concerned to help stop the ecological threat. In an open letter released by the International Maritime Organization of the United Nations, it demanded that the issue be resolved as quickly as possible.

The Houthi troops launched many attacks in the red sea targeting tankers and ships affiliated with Israel, including detonating explosives on the 900-foot Sounion, which was already crippled. Delta Tankers, situated in Athens, operates Sounion.

The Houthis have already said that they would permit salvage workers to pull the tanker to a secure port. Since August 23, the cargo ship has been blazing, while everyone aboard has been rescued.

According to some sources, the task’s importance hinged on a tanker’s assessment. The choice is to arrange for the ship’s hydrocarbon cargo to be transferred to another tanker or pull it to a safe port. “Transferring the oil cargo to another ship, when there are explosives on it, is not an easy task.” ASPIDES ships will safeguard and guide the vessel to a secure port in any scenario.

The Houthi troops of Yemen have published a footage that purports to demonstrate their soldiers aboard the Sounion oil ship. The footage shows that on a vessel that the Houthis had assaulted in the Red Sea in August, they set off explosives.

Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Houthi military, stated on Thursday that Sounion was a part of an organization that had “violated” the Red Sea embargo imposed by the Yemen on ships headed for Israel.