Operation to empty crude oil from Houthi-hit tanker Sounion under way

An operation to transfer approximately 150,000 tons of crude oil from the Greek-flagged Suezmax tanker Sounion to Delta Blue, using portable equipment, is under way at a safe anchorage point in the port of Suez.

According to sources from the Ministry of Shipping, the operation began on Thursday and is being conducted by a salvage crew aboard the tugboat Aigaion Pelagos. The process is expected to take three to four weeks.

The tanker and its cargo had been burning for roughly seven weeks following an attack by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Twenty separate fires caused by explosions triggered by the Houthis have now been successfully extinguished by the crew of the Aigaion Pelagos.

The same sources indicated that the primary goal is to secure the ship and ensure its stability, as it lacks operational mechanical systems and its hull plates have been weakened by...