Yemeni rebels will allow the towing of the Sounion oil tanker that was damaged by their attack a week ago in the Red Sea. Reuters wrote today, citing Houthi officials and the Iranian mission to the UN. The EU’s maritime mission, called Aspides, in turn reported today that there was no oil slick around the tanker. The Pentagon said on Tuesday that the vessel appeared to be leaking oil.
Rebels have threatened
The Houthi rebels, who have been attacking ships on the busy shipping lane for nine months, hit the Greek-flagged tanker several times, leading to it becoming unmanageable. The French navy managed to evacuate the crew, but the cargo vessel, which is now moored in place, could not yet be towed away because the rebels threatened to attack the tugs.
Now the Iranian diplomatic mission said several countries had asked the Shiite rebels for a temporary ceasefire to allow the ship to be removed from the area, which they said they had agreed to “in view of humanitarian and environmental concerns”.
Rebels control areas of Yemen
Shortly after the statement from Iran, which is supporting and arming the rebels, the Houthis said they had only agreed to tow the tanker to avoid environmental damage but no temporary truce.
In dozens of attacks in the Red Sea since November, the Houthis have sunk two ships and seized others, killed at least three sailors and disrupted global trade by forcing many vessels not to use the vital sea route. Many companies now prefer the longer and more expensive route around the southern tip of Africa. The rebels control large areas of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and much of the Red Sea coast. They claim to be attacking ships as part of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” in support of the Palestinians in their war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
source: ČTK
