Fear of oil spill

Oil spill looms after Houthi attack on tanker

(Bild: AFP/Ansarullah Media Center)

Houthi rebels have released footage (see video above) showing their fighters detonating around half a dozen explosives on an oil tanker they captured on August 21. It is unclear what was damaged in the explosions, but fears of an oil spill in the Red Sea are high.

While the explosives detonate on board the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion, the Iranian-backed Houthi chant their motto in the video: "God is the greatest, death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory to Islam."

Tanker unable to maneuver after shelling
The 274-metre-long Sounion was carrying around one million barrels (159 million liters) of oil. The ship was fired upon by the Houthi on August 21 west of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah and attacked with a drone. As a result, there was a fire on board and the engines failed, meaning that the tanker is currently drifting in the Red Sea, unable to maneuver.

Houthi rebels have detonated half a dozen explosives on board the oil tanker Sounion.

(Bild: AFP/Ansarullah Media Center)

A French destroyer operating as part of the EU's Operation Aspides rescued the 25 Filipino and Russian crew members and four private security guards who had abandoned the stricken ship and took them to nearby Djibouti.

UN very concerned
The UN has warned of the danger of an environmental disaster in the Red Sea. The spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that this was a "serious threat to the environment in the region". The tanker poses an "enormous environmental risk" and "we are very concerned."

Greece reported to the United Nations signs of an oil slick more than two nautical miles (a good four kilometers) long in the area around the stricken ship. "Greece urges all nations and actors involved to help (...) solve the problem as soon as possible," it said on Friday.

(Bild: Associated Press.)

According to initial plans, the salvage of the "Sounion" will start in the next 48 hours, people familiar with the events said on Friday. It is likely to be complicated, as Houthi rebels have placed explosive devices on the ship. Whether the tanker will be towed to a port or the cargo pumped into another ship can only be decided after an inspection of the "Sounion".

Rebels regularly attack merchant ships
The Houthi militia in Yemen repeatedly attacks merchant ships off its coast and justifies this as a sign of solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza war. Numerous major shipping companies have been largely avoiding the Red Sea and the Suez Canal for months because of the attacks. The Houthis, like Hamas supported by Iran, recently declared that they would allow the tanker to be salvaged.

However, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam emphasized that there is no temporary ceasefire and that the group only agreed to allow the Sounion oil tanker to be towed after several international parties contacted the group.