Salvage of a burning tanker in the Red Sea begins

Salvage operations are underway for the still-burning crude oil tanker attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea after tugboats began towing operations on Saturday.

The Greek-flagged MV Sounion was the target of a series of attacks by the Yemen-based Houthi militia on August 21. Armed Houthis filmed themselves boarding the vessel and loading it with explosives, disabling the ship and stoking fears of an environmental disaster as its cargo of more than a million barrels of crude oil had reportedly leaked.

The crew had previously been allowed to leave the ship.

The Houthis’ attacks on shipping since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7 have forced container and tanker lines to detour via the Red Sea, although the shipping route continues to carry a significant amount of civilian traffic.