Houthis Permit Salvage Operations for Damaged Sounion Tanker

Iran’s mission to the United Nations announced yesterday that the Houthis in Yemen have agreed to allow salvage teams access to the severely damaged Sounion suezmax tanker in the Red Sea, permitting it to be towed to safety.

The tanker, owned by Greece’s Delta Tankers, was attacked multiple times by the Houthis in international waters between Yemen and Eritrea eight days ago. Since August 23, the ship has been ablaze, with the Houthis releasing a dramatic video showing the moment they set the vessel on fire.

The European Union's naval force in the region provided an update on the condition of the tanker, warning that it remains a navigational hazard and poses a "serious and imminent threat of regional pollution," which could potentially trigger a "catastrophic environmental crisis."

The EU naval taskforce emphasized, "Successful mitigation will require close coordination and active participation of regional states."

Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, expressed deep concern, stating, "The risk of an oil spill, posing an extremely serious environmental hazard, remains high and there is widespread concern about the damage such a spill would cause within the region."

In the event of an oil spill from the Sounion, affected states would not be eligible for compensation from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, as such payments are exempt when damage results from acts of war, hostilities, civil war, or insurrection.

The Sounion is carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil from Iraq, and the extent of its damage raises the risk of spilling four times the amount of oil as the Exxon Valdez disaster—widely regarded as one of the most infamous tanker casualties. Such an incident could rank among the top five worst oil spills in history, according to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF).