At low speed it is towed to a safe anchorage in the northern Red Sea. Greek-owned oil tanker “Sounion” from the Delta tankers, from the Greek lifeboat “Aigaion Pelagos”.
The “Aigaion Pelagos” is also accompanied by the rescue tugboat “Panormitis”, capable of fighting fires and recovering oil spills, as well as three warships, one of which is the frigate Psara, as well as a special armed group.
The objective of the lifeguard teams, once the tanker is anchored, is to extinguish the fires on the tanker’s deck, caused by the placement of explosives by Houthi armed groups.
The tanker, carrying 150,000 tonnes of oil, is still burning more than four weeks after it was first attacked by the Houthis, while its 25-member crew (23 Filipinos and two Russians) were taken to safety by a French destroyer in Djibouti.
At 400 degrees temperature – The next steps
Based on your information RES-EMPfrom the measurements carried out by the lifeboat team on the deck of the tanker, it is found that the temperature reaches 400 degrees Celsius, while what will be sought in the next period is to extinguish the fire with foam and water and then seal the holes caused by the Houthi explosives.
Inertia will also be performed in the fuel tanks (Inert Gas System), so that the oil can then be decanted and safely transported to another ship. According to fuel company executives, for a fire to start and be sustained, oxygen, fuel, adequate temperature and a chain reaction must be present at the same time. If any of these elements are removed or their proportion reduced, the possibility of explosion and fire is reduced through inactivation.
