The Sounion that was attacked continues to burn and could become the largest oil spill in history
According to Reuters, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said on Tuesday (August 27) local time that the Greek-flagged crude oil tanker Sounion, which was recently attacked by Yemen's Houthi armed forces (hereinafter referred to as "Houthi armed forces"), is still on fire in the Red Sea, and there are signs that the tanker is leaking oil! The ship is carrying more than 150,000 tons (1 million barrels) of crude oil, which would most likely rank among the largest Marine oil spills ever recorded.
Mr. Ryder said that a third party had tried to send two tugboats to help raise the Sunion, but that the Houthis had threatened to attack them. "This is undoubtedly an extremely reckless act of terrorism that continues to disrupt the smooth flow of global and regional trade, seriously endangers the lives of innocent civilian seafarers, and damages Marine ecosystems in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," he said.
He added that the U.S. military is working with other partners in the region to determine how to help the ship and mitigate potential environmental impacts.
In the past 10 months, the Houthis have sunk two ships, killing at least three crew members and forcing shippers to avoid shortcuts through the Suez Canal, disrupting global shipping.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarri said in a televised address on Sunday that they attacked the tanker in part because the Greek Delta Tankers had violated a ban on "entering occupied Palestinian ports."
The Sonion is the third Delta Tankers to be attacked in the Red Sea this month, the other two being Delta Atlantica and Delta Blue. Delta Tankers said in a statement that the ship suffered only minor damage and stressed that "the crew and the vessel are safe and sound."
In the event of an oil spill, the International Oil Pollution Damage Compensation Fund (IOPC) plays a vital role in protecting the bottom line. It raises funds by imposing a specific fee on the parties' entities that receive seaborne oil, which is used to cover costs in addition to the clean-up costs borne by the responsible shipowner and his insurers. However, a representative of the fund confirmed that in the event of an oil spill on the Sonion, the fund would not pay for treatment costs.
Mark Homan, claims manager at the IOPC, said the IOPC convention specifically excludes liability for spills caused by hostilities. "Under article 4(2)(a) of the 1992 Fund Convention, the Fund shall not be liable if pollution damage is caused by an act of war, hostilities, civil war or insurrection. If there is any doubt as to whether an event constitutes war, hostilities, civil war or insurrection, we will take the issue to the Fund's General Assembly and they will probably look at the UN Security Council statement, "he said.
According to an exclusive report by Lloyd's Daily, the Keel Marine Underwriting Consortium, a unit of insurance company Brit, provided war insurance for the ship. The company has yet to respond, but it is likely to pay millions of dollars for damage to the ship's hull. If the ship is deemed a total loss, the payout could even run into tens of millions of dollars. Estimates for the Sonion range from a low of $35 million to a high of nearly $90 million, depending on the ship's condition and when it was last refurbished.
Mr. Ryder said that a third party had tried to send two tugboats to help raise the Sunion, but that the Houthis had threatened to attack them. "This is undoubtedly an extremely reckless act of terrorism that continues to disrupt the smooth flow of global and regional trade, seriously endangers the lives of innocent civilian seafarers, and damages Marine ecosystems in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," he said.
Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder
He added that the U.S. military is working with other partners in the region to determine how to help the ship and mitigate potential environmental impacts.
In the past 10 months, the Houthis have sunk two ships, killing at least three crew members and forcing shippers to avoid shortcuts through the Suez Canal, disrupting global shipping.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarri said in a televised address on Sunday that they attacked the tanker in part because the Greek Delta Tankers had violated a ban on "entering occupied Palestinian ports."
The Sonion is the third Delta Tankers to be attacked in the Red Sea this month, the other two being Delta Atlantica and Delta Blue. Delta Tankers said in a statement that the ship suffered only minor damage and stressed that "the crew and the vessel are safe and sound."
In the event of an oil spill, the International Oil Pollution Damage Compensation Fund (IOPC) plays a vital role in protecting the bottom line. It raises funds by imposing a specific fee on the parties' entities that receive seaborne oil, which is used to cover costs in addition to the clean-up costs borne by the responsible shipowner and his insurers. However, a representative of the fund confirmed that in the event of an oil spill on the Sonion, the fund would not pay for treatment costs.
Mark Homan, claims manager at the IOPC, said the IOPC convention specifically excludes liability for spills caused by hostilities. "Under article 4(2)(a) of the 1992 Fund Convention, the Fund shall not be liable if pollution damage is caused by an act of war, hostilities, civil war or insurrection. If there is any doubt as to whether an event constitutes war, hostilities, civil war or insurrection, we will take the issue to the Fund's General Assembly and they will probably look at the UN Security Council statement, "he said.
According to an exclusive report by Lloyd's Daily, the Keel Marine Underwriting Consortium, a unit of insurance company Brit, provided war insurance for the ship. The company has yet to respond, but it is likely to pay millions of dollars for damage to the ship's hull. If the ship is deemed a total loss, the payout could even run into tens of millions of dollars. Estimates for the Sonion range from a low of $35 million to a high of nearly $90 million, depending on the ship's condition and when it was last refurbished.
