The European Union’s naval force has announced the successful connection of tugboats to the MV Sounion, an oil tanker that was set ablaze in the Red Sea following an attack by Houthi militants. The stricken vessel, carrying approximately 1 million barrels of oil from Iraq and en route to Greece, is now being towed to a safe location.
“The tugboats have successfully connected to the vessel, and the towing of the MV Sounion to a safe location is in progress,” the EU naval force reported on Sunday via X (formerly known as Twitter).
The Sounion was attacked on August 21, 2024, as part of a series of Houthi assaults on merchant ships using drones and missiles. These attacks, which began in November 2023, have primarily targeted vessels linked to Israel, the US, and the UK, with the Houthis claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians amidst the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The situation has raised significant environmental concerns. Last week, the United Nations warned that the burning tanker posed a severe ecological risk if it could not be salvaged quickly. While the EU naval force has indicated that there is no immediate sign of an oil spill from the vessel’s cargo hold, the US has expressed concerns about possible leakage of fuel from the ship’s tanks.
The ongoing efforts to secure the Sounion aim to prevent any potential large-scale environmental disaster in the Red Sea region, a critical waterway for global trade.
