ALBAWABA- The EU Naval Mission ASPIDES has successfully towed the Greek-registered oil tanker SOUNION to a safe location, preventing any oil spill despite the severe damage it sustained during a Houthi attack last month off the Yemeni coasts.
The tanker, which contains over a million barrels of crude oil, had been under tow in the Red Sea as part of a complex salvage operation, which was greenlit by the Houthis after European mediation, according to Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam last August.
ASPIDES confirmed the successful towing of the vessel, noting the complexity of the operation. "The tug boats have successfully connected to the vessel, and the towing of the MV SOUNION to a safe location is in progress," the mission reported in a recent update on X (formerly Twitter).
The 900-foot tanker caught fire following multiple Houthi attacks on August 21, which escalated when the group planted and detonated explosives on the vessel.
These actions, according to the Houthis, were in solidarity with Gaza, as they claimed the SOUNION had violated a Houthi-imposed ban on vessels bound for Israel.
The Houthis have vowed to continue their blockade against Israeli ships in the Red and Arab Seas until the Israeli siege on Gaza is lifted and aid is allowed to flow to the 2.2 million Palestinians living there.
