News

Yemen's Houthi terrorits released a video on Aug 29, showing their f"ighters" boarding and planting explosives on the 'Sounion' and triggering explosions that put the Red Sea at risk of a major oil spill. The ship had been abandoned after the Houthis attacked it several times. In the video, the terrorists chant their slogan as bombs detonate aboard the tanker: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.” The 'Sounion' was carrying about one million barrels of oil when the Houthis attacked it on Aug 21 with small arms fire, rockets and an unmanned boat. On Aug 29, the vessel was leaking some oil from where it was hit, and multiple fires were still burning. BRIT, the British-based insurer with a 100% line on the tanker, has hired two tugs to attempt the salvage, the 'Hercules' (IMO: 9558517) and 'Gladiator' (IMO: 7621011). Both were subject to sanctions from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the operation may not get under way unless dispensation has been obtained. Reports with photos and video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adOZ-tsnzzg https://www.ucodigital.com.ar/noticias/los-rebeldes-huties-asaltan-un-petrolero-griego-antes-de-hacerlo-estallar-con-explosivos-mientras-los-militantes-continuan-su-guerra-contra-israel-en-el-mar-rojo/46305/ https://apnews.com/world-news/general-news-23098ab74782896d33a8c2b5726113df

On Aug 26 naval operations working for the European Union have given an update on the state of the blaze aboard the 'Sounion', which risks becoming the worst tanker spill of the 21st century. The ship, owned by Greece’s Delta Tankers, has been on fire since Aug 23 after the Houthi terrorists set it ablaze. All the crew were evacuated and hav since been transferred to Djibouti. There remained multiple fires across the main deck of the vessel, located around the hatches of the oil tanks. Additionally, a part of the superrstructure was on fire. So far there were no obvious signs of an oil spill. The ship remained anchored at the same point in international waters with the EU naval force warning the stricken ship is both a navigational and an “imminent” environmental hazard. “This situation underlines that these kinds of attacks pose not only a threat against the freedom of navigation but also to the lives of seafarers, the environment, and subsequently the life of all citizens living in that region,” the EU’s naval force stated. The US ambassador to the United Nations, has called for the Security Council to condemn the attacks and for the Houthis to cease the attacks. The militant group has repeatedly stated it will not back down in its 10-month campaign against merchant shipping until Israel stops its war with Hamas. “The Houthis’ brazen actions threaten to create an ecological disaster with devastating consequences for the region,” Thomas-Greenfield warned. Report with photo: https://splash247.com/stricken-suezmax-off-yemen-now-an-imminent-environmental-hazard/

The 'Sounion', carrying around a million barrels of crude oil, was still on fire and appeared to be leaking, the Pentagon said on Aug 27. A third party tried to send ships to help the tanker, but the Houthi terroritss threatened to attack the two tugs and warned them to stay away. They said they attacked the ship because they claimed, without any evidence, it had ties to Israel. “These are simply reckless acts of terrorism which continue to destabilize global and regional commerce, put the lives of innocent civilian mariners at risk and imperil the vibrant maritime ecosystem in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis’ own backyard,” the Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated. EUNAVFOR Aspides has published images of the shipin which at least five sources of fire can be seen on the ship, with flames coming out of the main tanks where the oil is stored, as well as around the bridge. The naval force said that the ship was an "imminent environmental danger." A ship whiich passed at 12 nautical miles range reported the aft having sunk, and flames with dense smoke on the deck. Reports with photos: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/28/greek-oil-tanker-attacked-in-red-sea-leaking-says-pentagon https://www.mundomaritimo.cl/noticias/tanquero-en-llamas-tras-ataque-en-el-mar-rojo-representa-un-peligro-ambiental-inminente

The 'Sounion' has been on fire since Aug. 23 after an attack by the Houthi terrorists with no obvious signs of an oil spill, EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides said on Aug 26. The EU mission published photos dated Aug 25, showing fire and smoke coming out of the vessel's main deck. The Houthi terrorists said on Aug 24 that they attacked the tanker in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Fires were observed on at least five locations on the main deck of the vessel, Additionally, a part of the superstructure was on fire too. Report with photo: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/eu-naval-mission-greek-flagged-ship-sounion-fire-since-august-23-after-houthi-2024-08-26/

The barge 'Jin Hwa 39', which was towed by the 'Jin Hwa 49', was boarded by seven perpetrators while underway in the westbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Straits (SS) on Aug 23, 2024. The incident occurred about 3.6 nautical miles south of Tanjung Setapa, at 12.30 a.m. in pos. 1° 17' 02 N 104° 8'62 E. The pirates stole scrap metal from the barge and escaped. No injuries were reported.