Greece’s coast guard on Friday reportedly confirmed press reports – with the first dispatch by afp – of two tugboats having already departed Greek waters for the southern Red Sea in an effort to salvage and tow the stricken and crude oil-laden “Sounion” tanker to a safer location.
A coast guard spokesperson said the tugs were being escorted by warships of the EUNAVFOR Aspides maritime operation, which includes a Greek frigate. They will join another two commercial salvage tugs hired by the insurers of Delta Tankers, the operator of the vessel.
A previous salvage operation failed last week over security concerns and difficulties in tethering the massive vessel.
The Sounion tanker was hit by Iran-backed Houthi rebels operating from a portion of Yemen. The vessel is anchored at roughly 72 nautical miles west of the Yemen port of Al Hudaydah.
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
