News

It could take weeks to put out the fires aboard the 'Sounion' after it was towed away from the danger zone and moved further north to safer waters in the Red Sea a week ago. Specialist teams were focused on putting out the flames and preventing further blasts from gases that have built up in the cargo tanks. A complex stabilisation and firefighting operation was due to begin shortly. Specialist equipment has now arrived and was being prepared for the firefighting phase. None of the crude cargo has leaked from the vessel, though it was hit three times by the Houthis. The missiles struck the starboard side, damaging the engine compartment and starting a fire. The crude cargo is owned by Greek refiner Motor Oil.

The barge 'Alam 281', being towed by the 'Target 10', was boarded by an unknown number of perpetrators pproximately 2.2 nautical miles south of Pulau Mungging, within the Johor Port Limit in pos. 1° 19.53' N 104° 17.5' E, on Sep 14, 2024, at 12.38 a.m. The intruders stole scrap metal from the barge. No injuries were reported.

Satellite images on Sep 17 have confirmed that the fire on the 'Sounion' was still on at the ship's new location, 81 kilometres off the coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea, following a delicate towing operation over the weekend. Sources suggested that Saudi Arabia will now provide funding for some of the next stages of the salvage operation, which will begin by trying to douse the vessel before starting a ship-to-ship transfer operation to remove the 1.1 million barrels of Iraqi heavy crude on board. Dousing the blaze and assessing the vessel’s condition were preconditions for the decision for an STS. The salvage teams will also have to patch up damage caused by the explosive charges the Houthis had placed aboard. Reports with photo: https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/satellite-images-show-the-difficult-mission-to-save-a-stricken-oil-tanker-in-the-red-sea/amp_articleshow/113465230.cms https://sea-man.org/news/mt-sounion-fire.html

On Sep 14, 2024. two incidents occurred onboard bulk carriers while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait (SS). At 01.25 a.m. the 'Atlantic Tiger' (IMO: 9874612) was boarded by six or seven perpetrators, while en route from Itaqui to China, in pos. 1° 3.3' N 103° 38.85' E. The perpetrators stole engine spares and escaped. The 'Sea Voyager', en route from Dhamra to Qingdao, was boarded by five perpetrators, armed with knives, approximately 5.9 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Cula in pos. 1° 4.18' N 103° 37.07' E. No information was available regarding stolen items.

The 'Sounion' has been successfully towed to safety without any oil spillage, the European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea, Aspides, announced on Sep 16. The difficult towing operation was successfully completed by private actors. The Aspides mission will continue to monitor the situation. Fires were still visible from its deck while the ship was towed northwards. The convoy was escorted by three frigates, with helicopters overhead, while three tugs were engaged in the towage operation. The 'Sounion'’s destination is currently unknown with European naval forces merely stating a “safe location”. Salvors are now likely to assess how to proceed with a ship-to-ship transfer to empty the cargo of Iraqi heavy crude. Reports with photos: https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/defense/le-petrolier-sounion-attaque-en-mer-rouge-par-les-houthistes-est-en-lieu-sur-b5fb71f6-74cb-11ef-8ac3-f7eb9db10673 https://splash247.com/sounion-successfully-towed-away-from-yemeni-coastline/