Carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil.. Fears of a "navigational and environmental" danger after the attack on the tanker Sunion in the Red Sea

The European Union's Red Sea mission said Thursday it had evacuated the crew of a Greek-flagged oil tanker a day after it was damaged in an attack off the coast of Yemen, warning that the vessel now posed an "environmental risk."

Three projectiles hit the oil tanker Sunion off the coast of the western Yemeni city of Hodeidah on Wednesday, causing a fire on board and the loss of engine power, according to the UK Maritime Security Agency.

“At the request of the captain, the mission sent a ship to transport the crew,” the European mission Aspedes wrote on its XN platform, noting that “all those on board the M/V Sunion were transferred to Djibouti, the nearest safe port.”

According to the Greek Port Authority, the ship is owned by the Greek shipping company Delta Tankers and was carrying a crew of 25, including 23 Filipinos and two Russians. It had sailed from Iraq and was heading to a port near Athens.

On August 21, the MV SOUNION, which had not asked for EUNAFVOR ASPIDES 🇪🇺 protection, came under an attack in the South Red Sea area and lost its engine power.

Following a request from the master, the operation dispatched a ship in order to rescue the crew.

While approaching… pic.twitter.com/gdSbTjmzRm

- EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) August 22, 2024

The European Union launched the “Aspidis” (Greek for “shield”) mission last February to protect navigation in the Red Sea region from attacks launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since November.

The rebels have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack on the Sunyon, but it coincides with their campaign against commercial ships that they say are linked to or heading to Israel, in what they consider to be support for the Gaza Strip in light of the war between Hamas and Israel that has been going on since October 7.

The European mission indicated that the ship, “carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil, now poses a navigational and environmental hazard,” stressing that “it is necessary for everyone in the region to exercise caution and refrain from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.”

The Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a Western naval coalition, reported that the ship had been abandoned and was currently stranded in the Red Sea between Eritrea and Yemen, noting that the fire had been contained and that one crew member had sustained minor injuries.

The EU naval mission in the Red Sea and a maritime security source told Reuters that the Sunion, fully loaded with crude oil, is now anchored between Yemen and Eritrea.

For its part, Delta Tankers, the ship’s owner, confirmed in a statement that “there are plans to move the ship to a safer destination where a full assessment (inspections and repairs) can be conducted.” The company did not specify where it intends to move the ship.

Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides on Wednesday condemned the attack on the Sunion, saying it was a “flagrant violation of international law and a serious threat to the safety of international shipping.”

The Sunion is the third Delta Tankers-owned ship to be attacked in the Red Sea this month, following the Delta Blue and Delta Atlantica, according to shipping data.

Several ships with Filipino crews have been targeted in the past. According to Philippine authorities, one citizen is still missing after an attack on the MV Tutor in the Red Sea in June, while 17 Filipino crew members of the Galaxy Leader are still being held by the Houthis since they seized the ship in November.

In a separate attack off the coast of Aden in southern Yemen, a ship reported six explosions in its vicinity in the past 24 hours, UKMTO reported.

The agency said that "the recent explosion, caused by an unmanned vessel, caused minor damage," noting that the ship and its crew are fine.

Source: Agencies