This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sonian burning in the Red Sea after being attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. | Photo credit: AP
Rescue workers abandoned their initial attempt to dislodge the burning oil tanker. Red Sea An EU naval mission said on Tuesday (September 3, 2024) that the Sonian was targeted because “it was not safe to proceed”, leaving the Sonian stranded and risking the spill of 1 million barrels of oil.
While no major spill has yet occurred, the incident threatens to be one of the worst yet in the Iran-backed rebels’ campaign to disrupt $1 trillion worth of goods that transit the Red Sea each year. It has also halted some aid shipments to conflict-torn Sudan and Yemen.
“The private companies responsible for the rescue operation have concluded that the conditions necessary to carry out the towing operation were not met and that it was not safe to proceed,” the EU’s Operation Aspides mission said, without giving details. “Alternative solutions are now being explored by the private companies.”
The EU mission declined to answer questions. The Associated Press ,(AP) About the announcement, it said nothing other than that its “assets are engaged in the safety of the tugs involved.” The safety issue could be a fire burning on the ship. Satellite images and analysis taken Tuesday afternoon from Planet Labs PBC AP Sonian still appeared to be burning.
The US State Department has warned that the spill from Sonian could be “four times larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster” that struck near Alaska in 1989.
Meanwhile, the threat of attack by terrorists remains. HouthisOn Monday (September 2, 2024), the Houthis have suggested they will allow a rescue operation to take place, but critics say the rebels have used the threat of a rescue operation to gain concessions from the international community.
The Houthis first attacked the Greek-flagged Sounion tanker with small arms, projectiles and drone boats on August 21. A French destroyer operating under Operation Aspides rescued the 25 Filipino and Russian crew members as well as four private security personnel after they abandoned the ship and headed to nearby Djibouti.
Last week, the Houthis released a propaganda video showing them setting fires, something the rebels have done before in their campaign.
The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October, killing four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or have failed to reach their targets, including Western military ships.
The rebels say they target ships belonging to Israel, the US or Britain to end Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
“No U.S. ships are known to be in the Red Sea at this time as the European Union mission took over following the Sonian attack. A U.S. defense official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been made public, said U.S. forces have not been asked about it and had no role in the cleanup or towing of the Sonian.”
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower recently spent a month-long deployment to the Red Sea, where it encountered some of the most intense, sustained combat.
The US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is in the Gulf of Oman with its carrier groups to counter Iran’s threat of retaliation against Israel. Satellite images and a report from the US Navy Institute on Tuesday show that the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group, which once accompanied the Roosevelt, have moved to the Gulf of Aden.
“However, the US continues its campaign of airstrikes targeting the Houthis. The attack on Tuesday (September 3, 2024) destroyed a Houthi missile system,” the US military’s Central Command said.
“Once again, the onus is on the Houthis to look at their impact, not just in the short term, but also in the long term as it relates to the environment, the economy and the safety of those traversing this vital waterway,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.
Matthew Bay, a senior analyst at risk advisory firm RANE Network, warned that Houthis’ attacks are likely to continue until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. Even after that, there is a risk that the insurgents will continue to launch attacks.
“The Houthis have learned a lot from what they’ve done over the last year – it’s been a huge recruiting boon for them,” Mr. Bey said. “I think there’s a lot of incentive for them to target shipping in the future because they’ve learned they can be very successful at it. It brings the West, which is kind of an enemy they want to fight, into the mix.”