The Red Sea was saved from a terrible disaster for a while!
September 18, 20242 Mins Read
International Desk: An oil tanker destroyed by Yemen's Houthi movement has been towed to a safe area in the Red Sea. No oil was spilled from the ship at this time.
As a result, a major disaster in the Red Sea was avoided. The BBC reported the information on Tuesday, citing the European Naval Mission.
According to reports, the Greek-owned and flagged MV Sounion was carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil. En route, the ship was hit by a missile attack on 21 August. The crew later abandoned the ship. Houthi fighters later detonated and started several firefights.
According to the European mission, a photo released Monday night local time showed three ships belonging to 'private partners' conducting rescue operations and being protected by a warship.
Meanwhile, Sounion's destination has not been announced. However, there are reports that Saudi Arabia has offered to help rescuers recover the oil. In addition, the European Union's military operation, Operation Aspides, said on social media, "The completion of this phase of the rescue operation is the result of extensive systematic and close cooperation between all partners committed to prevent an environmental disaster affecting the entire region."
A potential oil spill from Sounion could be nearly four times larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. According to data provided by the United States, the disaster contaminated an area of 2,100 km after a tanker sank off the coast of Alaska.
The Iran-backed Houthis said in late August they had allowed Sounion to withdraw from Yemen. They were contacted by 'several international parties'. They also said the attack on the tanker showed their determination to attack any ship that violates the Yemeni blockade.
The Houthis have targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since last November, sinking two vessels, seizing another and killing at least four crew members. They say they are doing this in support of the Palestinians in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have not been deterred, despite the deployment of Western warships to protect commercial shipping, or US and British airstrikes in Houthi-held areas of northwestern Yemen. Israel also bombed Yemen in retaliation for a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv and vowed a tooth-breaking response to the Houthis' missile attack on Sunday.
In a separate incident, the Houthis said on Monday they had shot down a US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen's Dhamar province, and a video they released showed burning debris on the ground. The US military said it was aware of the claim.
