Salvagers Abandon Burning Oil Tanker in Red Sea

A burning oil tanker remains stranded in the Red Sea after salvagers halted their effort to tow it away. It was deemed "not safe to proceed," according to the European Union's Operation Aspides. The Greek-flagged Sounion, which was targeted by Yemen's Houthi rebels, remains stranded and poses an environmental hazard due to the 1 million barrels of oil it has on board. The EU naval mission confirmed, "The private companies responsible for the salvage operation have concluded that the conditions were not met." It did not provide more detail beyond saying "alternative solutions are now being explored by the private companies."

The Sounion faced small arms fire, projectiles, and a drone boat from the Houthis when attacked on Aug. 21. A French destroyer evacuated the vessel's crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, along with four security personnel, and transported them to Djibouti. The Houthis have a history of targeting merchant ships, having attacked over 80 vessels since October. Despite claims of targeting ships associated with Israel, the US, or the UK, many affected vessels had minimal connections to the Gaza conflict. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)