The United States on Saturday expressed its “deep concern” about the Houthi attacks on Greek oil tanker ‘MV Sounion’which could cause the spill of a million barrels of oil in the Red Sea and aggravate the environmental tragedy.
In a statement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “Although the crew has been evacuated, the Houthis appear determined to sink the ship and its cargo at sea”.
One million barrels, the statement recalls, is an amount four times greater than that of the Exxon Valdez disaster (1989), one of the greatest environmental tragedies in the United Stateswhich ended with enormous consequences for Alaska’s wildlife, which are still being studied.
“Through these attacks, the Houthis have made clear that they are willing to destroy the fishing industry and regional ecosystems that Yemenis and other communities in the region depend on for their livelihoods, just as they have undermined the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the region with their reckless attacks.”the statement says.
The United States is therefore calling on the Houthis to cease these actions “immediately” and is asking other nations to step forward to help prevent this environmental disaster.
Disaster
The European Union (EU) naval mission in the Red Sea warned this Saturday that The fire on the Greek oil tanker caused by an “external attack” poses a “significant environmental threat”.
On Thursday, a ship from the EU Naval Force’s Aspides Mission carried out a rescue operation in response to an urgent request for help from the captain of the oil tanker ‘MV Sounion’, attacked the previous day in the Red Sea by the Shiite Houthi rebels.
The mission noted that during that operation in which All crew members were rescued from the ship, the tanker was anchored in “international waters of the southern Red Sea and there was no visible fire on it”he said in a statement on his official X account.
However, the next day, “The immobilized vessel suffered a fire caused by an external attack, which poses a significant environmental threat due to the large volume of crude oil on board, which could cause a serious ecological disaster with potentially devastating effects on the biodiversity of the region.”the mission stated.
Gaza
The attack took place west of Hodeida, one of the headquarters from which the Shiite Houthi rebels launch their attacks on ships linked to Israel.
These actions by the insurgents began last November in defense of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and with the aim of economically damaging Israel, which has forced large shipping companies to divert their route through the important commercial maritime route. EFE
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