Salvors advise against towing of damaged tanker off Yemen

The European Union's Operation Aspides naval force reports that salvors have advised against towing a disabled crude oil tanker that had been targeted by numerous attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebel group late last month.

The companies selected to undertake the salvage effort on the Greek-flagged and -operated tanker Sounion said that current conditions have made it challenging to tow the ship in a manner that would be deemed safe, Operation Aspides confirmed via a post on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week.

The same statement said the same salvage companies are now exploring alternative solutions.

The US State Department had earlier remarked that the Houthis’ continued attacks on Sounion threaten to spill a million barrels of oil into the Red Sea, an amount four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster.

Sounion first came under attack on August 21 while it was underway in the Red off the coast of Yemen. The Houthis again attacked the tanker the following day using an explosives-laden unmanned surface vehicle, which was successfully intercepted and destroyed by a French Navy warship that had diverted to the area.