Efforts to salvage the burning oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea have been officially halted, leaving the ship stranded and potentially facing a catastrophic oil spill from its one million barrels of oil.
On Tuesday, the EU’s Operation Aspides announced the suspension of the salvage operation, citing unsafe conditions as the reason.
NASA fire satellites have confirmed that the fire aboard the Greece-registered tanker is still raging.
The Sounion was attacked on August 21 by Iran-backed Houthis, who targeted the vessel using projectiles and firearms.
These Yemen-based rebels have disrupted regional maritime traffic, allegedly targeting vessels linked to Israeli allies in support of Palestine.
If a spill occurs, it could lead to one of the most significant environmental disasters in recent times.
European Union’s Operation Aspides via AP
The crew of 25 Filipino and Russian nationals, along with four private security personnel, were previously rescued by a French destroyer as part of the EU’s Operation Aspides, and taken to Djibouti.
Since the rescue, the tanker has remained anchored in the Red Sea, with the situation becoming increasingly dire.
While Houthi representatives have claimed they would allow salvage operations, past behavior hints at a strategy of leveraging the threat of an environmental disaster for concessions from the international community.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October, Houthis have launched over 80 attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, resulting in two ships being sunk and four sailors losing their lives.
This ongoing conflict is also damaging a significant portion of the approximately $1 trillion worth of goods that transit this vital waterway each year.
Although the rebels state that they are only targeting vessels linked to Israel, the U.S., or the U.K., many of the affected ships have no clear ties to the conflict, including those heading towards Iran.
Ansar Allah Media Office via AP
The U.S. State Department has raised concerns over the potential environmental impact of the Sounion, warning that a spill could be “four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster” from 1989.
However, the level of U.S. involvement in the salvage operation remains unclear, as currently, no U.S. vessels are in the Red Sea. However, two U.S. aircraft carriers, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Abraham Lincoln, are present in the Gulf of Oman, ready to respond to any Iranian retaliation related to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
For now, the EU’s Operation Aspides continues to oversee the challenges surrounding the Sounion.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.