It is not possible, at least for now, to tow the Greek oil tanker MV Sounion, which was hit by the Houthis and has been on fire for 13 days. Sounion is anchored 72 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, Yemen, in the Red Sea.
According to an update from the company “Shields”, since September 1st, members of the company have been helping by offering protection to tugboats sailing close to the MV Sounion with the aim of avoiding a possible environmental disaster.
Alternative solutions are being sought
However, the private companies that carried out the towing have announced that it is not possible, for the time being, to carry out this mission, as it is considered that the towing cannot be done safely. However, alternatives are being considered.
About that, according to sources “N”, in a letter to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the Directorate General of Shipping The Coast Guard headquarters states that a satellite image received on the evening of August 29, 2024 by the satellite services of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), detected a possible oil spill, approximately 2.2 nautical miles in extent. The location of the oil spill corresponds to the location of the ship.