Fires on the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion could take weeks to put out after it was towed away from the danger zone following repeated Houthi attacks.
The fully laden suezmax is still burning after members of the Yemeni militant group detonated explosives on its deck.
Hours earlier, the crew had abandoned the vessel shortly after it was first attacked on 21 August while travelling from Iraq to Greece, via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
The 163,800-dwt Sounion (built 2006) was moved further north to safer waters in the Red Sea a week ago in the latest stage of the salvage operation.
Specialist teams are focused on putting out the flames and preventing further blasts from gases that have built up in the cargo tanks.
“The operation to make safe the Sounion is entering a critical phase,” said the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC), a data-sharing initiative of several nations’ navies.
“A team of international experts is engaged in a complex stabilisation and firefighting operation that is due to begin shortly.
“Specialist equipment has now arrived and is currently being prepared for the firefighting phase.”
None of the nearly 1m barrels of Iraqi crude cargo has leaked from the Delta Tankers vessel after it was hit three times by the Houthis.
The JMIC said all the missiles struck the starboard side, damaging the engine compartment and starting a fire.
It said the ship had no direct association with Israel, the US or the UK, but other ships linked to Delta Tankers had visited Israel in the recent past.
The crude cargo is owned by Greek refiner Motor Oil.
Read more
- Red Sea transits still have strong backing from London market amid Houthi attacks
- Βurning Greek tanker towed to safety in the Red Sea without oil spill
- Western governments powerless to stop Houthi attacks and end Red Sea crisis, insurers told
- Geopolitical strife is biggest threat to global shipping routes, warns IUMI chief
- Salvage armada starts towing stricken Delta Tankers vessel in Red Sea
