Salvage operation of MV Sounion oil tanker about to start, no signs of oil spill, EU naval mission says
Adds details, quotes
CAIRO, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The salvage operation of the oil tanker MV Sounion, which was recently attacked by Iran-aligned Houthi militants, is about to begin, the EuropeanUnion's mission in the Red Sea, Aspides, said on Monday.
Aspides said in a statement that"several fires" continued to burn on the Greek-registered vessel, which is laden with about 1 million barrels of crude oil, addingthat there were no visible signs of an oil spill.
Thesalvage operation is likely to be complex and if a spill occurs, it has the potential to be among the largest from a ship in recorded history and could cause an environmental catastrophe in an area that is particularly dangerous to access.
"The MV SOUNION, due to the large amount of crude oil it carries, presents a significant environmental threat. Private companies are involved in the salvage operation that is about to start," Aspides said on X.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that tug boats were ready to operate but it would require an on-spot inspection before a decision is made on whether to transfer the cargo to another vessel or move the ship to a safe port first.
The EU's naval force said on Monday it will provide protection to the tug boats that will deal with the salvage operation.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have been waging a campaign against commercial shipping to support Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
On Monday, a Saudi-owned crude tanker and a Panama-flagged oil ship were attacked in the Red Sea off Yemen, two sources familiar with the matter said, although it was unclear if the vessels were hit by Yemeni Houthi militants.
Reporting by Jaidaa Taha, Ahmed Elimam and Renee Maltezou in Athens
Editing by Tomasz Janowski
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
