The European Union’s Aspides Red Sea mission announced on Monday that the rescue of an oil tanker still on fire after being attacked by the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) off Yemen “is about to begin.”
The European Aspidis mission reported on its X account that the operation, which includes private companies, is “about to start.”
She added that the mission “will ensure the protection of the tug boats that will carry out the rescue operation and will facilitate their efforts to prevent an environmental disaster” in the Red Sea.
“There are still several fires burning on the main deck of the ship,” she continued, but there is currently “no obvious sign of an oil spill.”
🎥 Scenes of the Yemeni Navy burning the Greek ship (SOUNION) in the Red Sea due to the company that owns it violating the decision to ban access to the ports of occupied Palestine #The_response_is_coming#AlAqsa_Flood #You_Are_Not_Alone #The_Battle_of_the_Promised_Conquest_and_Holy_Jihad pic.twitter.com/IAPVufHIRF
— Al Masirah Channel (@TvAlmasirah) August 23, 2024
On August 21, the Greek-flagged ship “Sunion” was attacked by the Houthis, which, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, led to a fire on board and the failure of its engine.
The Houthis announced that they had booby-trapped and then blown up the oil tanker they had previously attacked in the Red Sea, causing several fires on board before “allowing” it to be rescued.
Crew evacuation
The crew of the Sunyon, consisting of 23 Filipinos and two Russians, was evacuated the day after the attack by a French frigate participating in the European mission.
It is noteworthy that the Houthis have been targeting Israeli commercial ships or those linked to Israeli interests in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea since last November, as part of their support for the Palestinians in light of the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 7.
The Houthi attacks have affected shipping traffic in the strategic region, through which 12% of global trade passes, prompting the United States to form an international naval coalition and strike Houthi targets in Yemen, with Britain participating in some of the strikes.
