One million oil barrels could leak into Red Sea after tanker recovery efforts abandoned

Explosions striking the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea after Yemen's Houthi rebels boarded and set explosives on the tanker. Credit: AP

Efforts to tow away an oil tanker damaged damaged in an attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels, have been abandoned, leaving the Sounion stranded and its 1 million barrels of oil at risk of spilling

A European Union naval mission said on Tuesday, that it "was not safe to proceed" with the recovery of the stranded vessel, which has remained in the water and on fire since the attack on August 21.

The US State Department warned that a spill from the Sounion could be “four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster” in 1989 off Alaska.

“The private companies responsible for the salvage operation have concluded that the conditions were not met to conduct the towing operation and that it was not safe to proceed,” the EU’s Operation Aspides mission said, without elaborating. “Alternative solutions are now being explored by the private companies.”

The ship remains ablaze in the Red Sea. Credit: AP

The threat of Houthi attacks continues with the Iranian-back group targeting two other oil tankers travelling through the Red Sea on Monday.

The Houthis have suggested they will allow a salvage operation to take place, but critics say the rebels have used the threat of an environmental disaster previously involving another oil tanker off Yemen to extract concessions from the international community.

The Houthis initially attacked the Greek-flagged Sounion tanker on August 21 with small arms fire, projectiles and a drone boat.

A French destroyer operating as part of Operation Aspides rescued its crew after they abandoned the vessel and took them to nearby Djibouti.

Last week, the Houthis released footage showing they planted explosives on board the Sounion and ignited them in a propaganda video, something the rebels have done before in their campaign.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October.

They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...