Burning oil tanker is still holding tight in the Red Sea
Although the unmanned tanker Sounion is on fire in five places on the ship’s main deck and near the oil tank hatches, no oil leak has been detected, reports EU military operations unit Eunavfor Aspides on the social media X.
Since Thursday, the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion has been on fire. The Iranian-backed Houthi movement, which has attacked several ships in the Red Sea in recent months, has claimed responsibility for the attack that caused the fire.
The 25-person crew has been evacuated from the ship, which is carrying 150,000 tons of oil, and the fire threatens to result in one of the largest oil spills ever from a tanker.
“[A] unit transiting the area reported that there are fires on at least 5 locations observed on the main deck of the vessel. It is estimated that these are located around the hatches of the vessel’s oil tanks,” writes Aspides in its update on Monday.
“Additionally, part of the superstructure is on fire, too. So far there are no obvious signs of an oil spill.”
The vessel, operated by Delta Tankers, ”remains anchored at the same point in international waters” in the Red Sea, according to Aspides.
”All vessels in the area must exercise extreme caution, as the MV Sounion is both a navigational and an imminent environmental hazard. This situation underlines that these kinds of attacks pose not only a threat against the freedom of navigation but also to the lives of seafarers, the environment, and subsequently the life of all citizens living in that region,” writes Aspides.
(English edit by Kristoffer Grønbæk)
