US: Oil spill calamity four times “Exxon Valdez” disaster waiting to happen

The US Department of State on Thursday (24 August) said it was gravely concerned by the Houthis’ attacks against the oil tanker MV Sounion, a vessel carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil. 

“The Houthis’ continued attacks threaten to spill a million barrels of oil into the Red Sea, an amount four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster,” it said in a statement. 

“While the crew has been evacuated, the Houthis appear determined to sink the ship and its cargo into the sea.”

“We call on the Houthis to cease these actions immediately and urge other nations to step forward to help avert this environmental disaster.”

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a man made disaster that occurred when oil tanker Exxon Valdez, owned by the Exxon Shipping Company, spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound on 24 March, 1989.

It was considered the worst oil spill in US history until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

According to the EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, an EU military operation in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf, the Sounion came under an attack in the South Red Sea area and lost its engine power on 21 August. 

Following a request from the master, the operation dispatched a ship in order to rescue the crew.

While approaching the area, a EUNAVFOR ASPIDES ship destroyed an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) that posed an imminent threat to the ship and the crew. All on board the Sounion were subsequently rescued and are being transported to Djibouti, the nearest safe port of call.

However, it reported that the vessel was on fire on 23 August posing a significant environmental threat due to the large volume of crude oil on board, which could lead to a severe ecological disaster with potentially devastating effects on the region’s biodiversity.

In its latest updated on 26 August, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES said the ship was still on fire and there were fires on at least five locations observed on the main deck of the vessel. 

“It is estimated that these are located around the hatches of the vessel’s oil tanks. Additionally, part of the superstructure is on fire, too,” it said.

“So far there are no obvious signs of an oil spill.”

Photo credit: EUNAVFOR ASPIDES
Published: 28 August, 2024