FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Fourteen fires light up the deck of the tanker without a commander and without a crew.
The Greek oil tanker Sounion was hit and severely damaged by an attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the waters of the Red Sea six days ago.
Now it is threatening to become one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the international navy. Also because the tugboats that could put out the flames and tow it to the first safe port, so far have not been able to approach, due to the risk of being the targets of the rockets and drones of the rebels or the Yemeni militia, writes "La Repubblica".
The ship has a million barrels of oil on board, weighing 150,000 tons, which has begun to spill into the sea.
"The danger is real and the countdown has begun. It is not known exactly how long it will take us to see the dark spot spread around the shape of the cargo ship carrying the Hellenic flag, 274 meters long, 50 meters wide and, for the moment, anchored in the depths of the South Sea . But the European Union is already moving to organize a joint rescue operation with the Saudi navy. The goal is to withdraw the Sounion to the port of Jeddah as soon as possible," the newspaper writes.
An operation that found, yesterday evening (August 28), also the agreement of the Houthis rebels. According to the UN, they agreed to a temporary ceasefire. The cargo is located in the southern area of the Red Sea, near Hodeidah, the port city of Yemen. The flames have been seen from afar for almost a week, in the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb and in the Gulf of Aden, where the rebels have turned it into their "fortress".
The Pentagon is also involved in the operation, but the attempt to send the two tugboats failed earlier. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani yesterday to negotiate, appreciating the fact that Italy has good diplomatic relations with the Saudis, Yemenis, Chinese and other regional actors.
The Greek ship "Sounion" is operated by Delta Tankers, headquartered in Athens. She was attacked on the evening of August 21 and was sailing without safety armour. The crew has been transferred to Djibouti and is safe.
Lini një Përgjigje