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Damaged tanker towed to Ismalia

Several tugs have successfully towed the heavily damaged 'Sounion' through the Suez Canal, en route to Greece. it arrived in Ismailia on March 10. Before its transit through the canal, the Sue Canal Authority (SCA) oversaw the complex unloading operation at the Suez anchorage area. The salvage companies Ambery and MEga Tugs working under the SCA’s supervision, carefully transferred the remaining cargo to another tanker while adhering to strict environmental and safety protocols. To prevent pollution, the SCA’s Central Pollution Control Committee closely monitored the unloading operation, and the pollution control vessel 'Kashet 2' was deployed as a precautionary measure. Both companies worked as per a joint work plan in cooperation with and under the complete supervision of the SCA's maritime salvage team to drain the tanker's cargo into another similar tanker according to precise drainage rates and calculations to prevent any damage or split in the tanker's hull. The 'Sounion' was then moved through the canal as part of the southbound convoy, towed by the escorting salvage tug 'Aigaion Pelgaos' (IMO: 9477012). The vessel was piloted by the Authority’s largest tug, with the operation led by the SCA’s largest tug, the 'Baraka 1' (IMO: 9038361), supported by three other authority-owned tugs. The towage operation lasted approximately 24 hours, and 13 pilots participated in the process in the Anchorage areas and the Canal. The operation was executed in multiple phases, with waiting periods and pilot changes. The tanker was initially towed from the Suez anchorage on the evening of March 8, proceeding to the Great Bitter Lakes waiting area, and waited the transit of both the northbound and southbound convoys and the completion of pilots change before resuming the towage operation to the Ballah area, where another change of pilots took place, before towing it to Port Said, with continuous monitoring from the Navigation Control Center and the network of pilotage stations positioned along the canal.. The preparations for the towage operation entailed taking complex measures over the past months to drain the cargo of the tanker; 150000 tons of crude oil, before allowing it to transit through the waterway. The process of cargo discharge was a highly complex one, requiring meticulous calculations and coordination with multiple parties. Reports with photos: https://gcaptain.com/photos-mt-sounion-transits-suez-canal-six-months-after-houthi-attack/ https://en.amwalalghad.com/suez-canal-successfully-tows-damaged-oil-tanker-sounion/ https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sounion-tanker-damaged-by-houthis-was-towed-through-suez-canal

Cargo removal completed, wreck to be dismantled or repaired

After the salvage of the 'Sounion', last year’s most high profile Houthi vessel attack, has been completed. the tanker will now likely head for scrap, but its owners, Delta Tankers, are also considering to repair it at a shipyard in Türkiye. The commercial salvage operation, that ultimately involved more than 200 personnel, was launched by the vessel insurers, led by the UK firm Ambrey. The salvage operations could only begin once explosive ordnance disposal experts had inspected the vessel and cleared it of any unexploded ordnance or improvised explosive devices, its anchor raised, and a primary towing tug put in position. The scale and complexity of what had happened meant that specialist tugs were mobilised from Greece and firefighting equipment flown in on chartered aircraft, along with specialists from around the world. Firefighting faced huge challenges with the heat and humidity of the Red Sea, meaning operations were primarily conducted at night. The fires were extinguished, cargo tanks patched and pressurised with inert gas, and the vessel declared safe. In early October, it was towed north to Suez for the removal of its cargo, which has now been completed. Reports with photos: https://splash247.com/epic-salvage-of-sounion-tanker-complete/ https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/to-save-the-sounion-ambrey-combined-salvage-with-security-and-politics

Oil removal completed

More than three months after the Houthi terrorist attack on the 'Sounion', the tanker has been successfully unloaded. The threat of the spill is over, but the tanker is heavily damaged and the attack raised new concerns of the scope of the Houthi efforts. Officials from Greece’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy confirmed the removal of the oil has been completed at the anchorage south of the Suez Canal. The operators of the tanker, Delta Tankers of Greece, had sent the tanker 'Delta Blue' to receive the oil. The operation had been underway since Oct 7, when a sakvage team of 27 people began work to stop the 18 fires set by the Houthi terrorists after the vessel was abandoned. The operation was made more challenging because the fires which had been burning for more than a month had fatigued the metal plates of the tanker. In addition, there is no power aboard the 'Sounion'. The initial Houthi attack on Aug 21 had damaged the engine room and left it disabled. The subsequent effort at setting off explosives on the vessel also destroyed the navigation bridge and possibly other control areas. The salvage team had to use portable pumps.