The Souniona Greek-flagged ship, was attacked by Houthi rebels in late August.
The towing of an oil tanker attacked in August by Yemeni Houthi rebels and abandoned off the coast of Yemen with more than a million barrels of crude oil began Saturday, a source in the Greek Defense Ministry said. If it breaks up or explodes, the Greek-flagged Sounion could cause an environmental disaster in the Red Sea, experts say.
“The tugboat Aigaion Pelagos began to gradually tow the tanker northwards, escorted by military vessels”the defense source told AFP, adding that the ships’ radars had been disabled for security reasons. The European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea, Aspides, launched to protect merchant shipping from Houthi attacks, earlier said that “MV Sounion rescue operation essential to avoid environmental catastrophe”.
The Sounion, which is carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil, caught fire and lost power after being attacked on August 21. Its 25 crew members were evacuated the next day by a French frigate from the Aspides mission, deployed in the area. A few days later, the rebels claimed to have detonated charges on the ship’s deck, triggering new fires.
The Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemen, have for months targeted ships they believe are linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom, claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. Their attacks have disrupted traffic in the maritime zone vital to global trade, prompting the United States to establish an international maritime coalition and strike rebel targets in Yemen, sometimes with British assistance.
