The Houthis militants released video late on Friday showing explosions aboard the laden Greek tanker Sounion setting the stage for what experts believe will be one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.
The vessel is fully laden with approximately 150,000 tonnes (more than 900,000 barrels) of crude loaded in Iraq. Two years ago, UN officials warned that if the FSO Safer, which was also off the coast of Yemen, failed it would take 25 years for fish stocks to recover while the cost of cleanup alone would be a staggering $20 billion. The FSO Safer had about one million barrels aboard.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations earlier today issued an update saying it had been told that it appears there are three fires burning on the vessel. In addition, earlier reports had said the ship had dropped its anchors and that Delta Tankers was arranging for its salvage. UKMTO now cautions that the vessel appears to be drifting.
Video released by the #Houthis seems to show the setting of explosive charges on the deck of the greek tanker #Sounion off the coast of Yemen in the #RedSea.
— Greek City Times (@greekcitytimes) August 23, 2024
At 150k tons, this tanker is almost twice the size of Exxon Valdez and the environmental damage to the region will be… pic.twitter.com/uRnssMFgZL
Yesterday, after the tanker was evacuated, EU officials had issued a statement calling for caution and urging everyone in the area to “refrain from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.” The Houthis in the past have been known to board disabled vessels and renew their attacks.
The French frigate Chevalier Paul defended the tanker yesterday from a further attack by the Houthi while also coordinating the evacuation of the 29 crewmembers. When they left the vessel, the report said the fires had been extinguished, but that the vessel had taken on water. It was without power.
The crew of the tanker, which included a Russian captain, 24 Filipino seafarers as well as three from India and one from Nepal, arrived in Djibouti at around 2200 last night according to the port authority. They said all the crew were safe and being attended to following a similar report from the authorities in the Philippines. Reports said one crewmember received minor injuries.
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— ??????? ?????? ?????? (@MMY1444) August 23, 2024
???? ?????? ???????? ??????? ????????? SOUNION ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ??????????… pic.twitter.com/fi1pLq6NPD
Officials in Djibouti had issued an urgent call for immediate intervention by the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They were urging that actions be taken to mitigate the impact of the attack and protect the marine environment.
UN officials two years ago warned of the consequences of a large oil spill in the region. They had said if the FSO Safer failed the large spill would be an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe. They predicted the destruction would reach pristine reefs, coastal mangroves, and other sea life across the Red Sea, exposing millions of people to the pollution and cutting off food, fuel, and other life-saving supplies. Coastal communities the UN emphasized would be hit hardest with hundreds of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry being lost. A spill from the Sounion would be on the same magnitude as the FSO Safer.
