Greece and Saudi Arabia lead effort to tow Greek tanker attacked in Red Sea, Bloomberg reports
Greece, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, is leading the effort to evacuate and tow the Greek-owned oil tanker Sounion, which was attacked last week in the Red Sea by the Houthis, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
The plan involves transferring the oil inside the tanker (approximately 150,000 tons) to another vessel, while Sounion will be towed to a safe port, likely in Djibouti.
Greek, French and Italian ships from the EU’s Aspides naval operation will escort the tanker and the Saudis will likely oversee the oil transfer.
The Houthis agreed to allow the tugboats to remove the Sounion because a potential oil spill would have severe consequences for Yemen’s coast as well as those of its neighbors.
There is cooperation between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, European partners and key regional players, including Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis said he spoke with the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister to ensure that “this matter will be handled as safely as possible.”
