The rescue of the oil tanker hit in the Red Sea is expected in the coming days, sources say

A rescue operation to recover a Greek oil tanker stranded in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi militants is expected to begin in the coming days, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

What was decided yesterday is an initial game plan, of the operation starting in 48 hours,” said one of the sources. A second source said the operation could be complex because the Houthis had rigged the ship with explosives.

At stake is the safe removal of a tanker loaded with approximately 1 million barrels of crude oil, which if spilled could cause an environmental catastrophe in an area particularly dangerous to access. Efforts are being made to speed up the process, sources said.

The Houthis say tugboats can tow the stricken tanker under attack in the Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi militants have carried out several attacks, including planting bombs on the already disabled 274.2m Sounion. On Wednesday, Iran-aligned militants said they would allow salvage crews to tow the ship — which has been on fire since Aug. 23 — to safety.

The sources said the priority of the operation – whether to tow the ship to a port or arrange for a transfer of its cargo – depends on an inspection of the vessel.

“It’s not an easy task, transferring oil cargo to another ship when there are explosives on it,” one of the sources said. “In any case, the (EU monitoring mission) ASPIDES ships will protect and escort the ship to a safe port.”

Greece has also reached out to Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region, to ask for assistance.

“Delta Tankers is doing everything possible to move the vessel (and cargo). For security reasons, we are unable to comment further,” said a spokesman for the Athens-based tanker operator.

There were conflicting reports earlier in the week as to whether the Sounion had begun to shed its cargo. The EU’s ASPIDES team insisted it did not, while the US later responded to initial comments to say some of the spill was not from the cargo but from the ship itself and where it had been hit.

If a leak does occur, it has the potential to be among the largest from a ship in recorded history.

“The Houthis agreed to allow it to be towed because, at the end of the day, any environmental disaster would affect their region,” a shipping industry source said.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis, additional reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Louise Heavens)

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