Suez Canal tows Greek oil tanker damaged in Red Sea attack

Yemen Online

10-03-2025

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has successfully towed a Greek-flagged tanker carrying over 150,000 tons of crude oil after a Houthi attack in the Red Sea damaged it, SCA said in a statement on Monday.
"The oil tanker Sounion was successfully towed by four tugboats" through the Egyptian waterway and was now "heading to Greece," SCA chief Osama Rabie said in a statement.
The 274-metre (899-foot) vessel was attacked in August, resulting in a fire that damaged its command centre, engine room, and living quarters and caused failures in its control and navigation systems.
The crew, consisting of 25 Filipinos and Russians as well as four private security personnel, was rescued by a French vessel and taken to Djibouti, AFP reported.
Rabie explained that the towing operation required months of preparation, including complex measures to unload the tanker's cargo due to its precarious condition.
"The dangerous state of the tanker posed risks of pollution, oil spills, or even an explosion, which necessitated these precautions before allowing it to transit the canal," he said.
Rescue firms AMBERY and MEGATUGS, under the supervision of the SCA, transferred the cargo to another tanker in the Suez Canal area.
The Sounion was towed from the Suez anchorage on Saturday evening to the Great Bitter Lakes, where it waited for the passage of other convoys, he added.
Moreover, Rabie emphasized the SCA's readiness to handle complex crossings, citing its qualified personnel, technical capabilities, and simulation training at the Maritime Training and Simulation Academy.
He also highlighted the authority's commitment to safety and adherence to international standards.
Since November 2023, a month into the Israeli war on Gaza, the Houthis have launched attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians.
Following the Gaza ceasefire in January, the Yemeni group said they would limit their attacks to Israeli-affiliated ships, suspending operations against other vessels.
These attacks have disrupted global commercial trade.
Egypt's revenues from the Suez Canal, which moves 12 percent of all world trade, dropped by 60 percent, nearly $7 billion, in 2024.
The canal is a leading source of foreign currency for Egypt, alongside tourism and expat remittances. It links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, creating the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.
Additionally, it is connected to the Gulf of Aden by the Bab El-Mandeb Strait between Yemen and Djibouti.
According to Rabie, dozens of ships have resumed using the Suez Canal since early February instead of taking the longer Cape of Good Hope route, a longer alternative to which ships resorted to avoid the Housthi attacks.