Yemen.. Fears of the hull of the tanker (Sunion) burning completely as it fails to be towed and the fire continues to burn in it

A global environmental expert expressed his fears of a complete fire in the oil tanker (Sunion), which was attacked by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea two weeks ago, after efforts to tow it failed and the fire continued to burn.

“While the rescue of the Sunion has been delayed, the pressure is mounting as the ship continues to burn, affecting the integrity of its structure,” said Wim Zwijnenburg, project leader for humanitarian disarmament (PAX ) and researcher on the environmental impacts of armed conflict.

He added in a post on the X platform that this "increases the possibility of its collapse," attaching recent satellite images of the ship catching fire.

And here the @planet image of the #Sounion from today, September 4, 2024 https://t.co/2bFBDOeO3o pic.twitter.com/oNVO3RORUa

— Wim Zwijnenburg (@wammezz) September 4, 2024

On Tuesday, Greenpeace called, in a post on its X account, for urgent action to rescue the Greek oil tanker "Sunion" stuck in the Red Sea, west of Yemen, to avoid an imminent environmental disaster in the region.

She added, "This critical situation cannot be tolerated and may worsen at any moment."

This came at a time when the European Union naval mission in the Red Sea (Aspedes) announced the failure to tow the ship, which is still on fire.

In a statement on the X platform, it explained that the private companies responsible for the rescue operation concluded that the conditions were not suitable for carrying out the withdrawal operation and that it was not safe to proceed with it, noting that those companies are studying alternative solutions.

On August 21, the Iranian-backed Houthis attacked the tanker carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil in various attacks, and later returned by placing explosives inside it and setting it on fire. Since then, the fire has been burning inside it, threatening an oil leak and an unprecedented environmental disaster.