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The European Union’s ASPIDES military mission confirmed today, Monday, that fires are still burning on the Greek oil tanker “Sounion,” which was targeted by Sana’a Government forces on August 23 in the Red Sea.
In a statement on the platform “X,” the European ASPIDES naval mission reported that “the fires are still burning on the Sounion since August 23.” The mission added that a unit from the European Union force (ASPIDES) passing through the area reported fires in at least five locations on the ship’s main deck.
The statement indicated that the fires are concentrated around the ship’s oil tank hatches, and part of the superstructure is also ablaze.
The mission further noted that “so far, there are no clear signs of an oil spill, and the ship remains anchored in the same location in international waters.”
The ASPIDES mission published photos dated Sunday, August 25, showing flames and smoke rising from the ship’s deck.
Update on M/V SOUNION:
The MV SOUNION has been on fire since August 23rd.
An EUNAFOR ASPIDES 🇪🇺 unit transiting the area reported that there are fires on at least 5 locations observed on the main deck of the vessel. It is estimated that these are located around the hatches of… pic.twitter.com/ta0IuLhIoY
— EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) August 26, 2024
The Sana’a Government forces had announced last Thursday that they targeted the Sounion and another ship called “North Wind” in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, stating that the Sounion is at risk of sinking.
On Friday evening, the Sana’a military media released footage of the Sounion being set ablaze, accusing the ship’s owners of violating the ban on entering ports in occupied Palestine. The Associated Press reported that an analysis of this footage suggests that explosives were planted on the ship’s deck and detonated simultaneously.
The video footage aired by the military media showed moments of large, simultaneous explosions on the deck of the Sounion, causing a massive fire onboard.
These images support the Associated Press analysis, as they depict shots taken from manned boats close to the ship during its detonation, suggesting that fighters boarded the ship and rigged it with explosives.
مشاهد لإحراق القوات البحرية اليمنية السفينة اليونانية SOUNION في البحر الأحمر والتي قامت الشركة المالكة لها بانتهاك قرار حظر الدخول إلى موانئ فسلطين المحتلة pic.twitter.com/7h34dJiz2U
— الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) August 23, 2024
