Sounion Tanker Damaged by Houthis was Towed Through Suez Canal

Towing Sounion through the Suez Canal as a dead ship took approximately 24 hours (SCA photos)

Published Mar 10, 2025 1:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The tanker Sounion which drew worldwide attention in August 2024 after it was damaged by the Houthis in multiple attacks off Yemen transited the Suez Canal today. The Canal Authority is reporting it was a carefully planned, complex operation to bring the heavily damaged vessel through the canal on its way to Greece.

Offloading of the 150,000 tons of crude aboard the tanker was completed in December 2024 after nearly a month-long operation managed by Ambrey and Mega Tugs. The tanker run by Greece’s Delta Tankers was northbound in the Red Sea when it was struck in August and disabled. After the crew abandoned the tanker, the Houthis went aboard and set off multiple explosions starting oil fires and destroying the bridge in addition to the previous flooding and damage to the engine room. 

The Suez Canal Authority reports it oversaw the offloading operation after the vessel was towed into the port south of the canal. The Authority’s pollution control vessel Kasht 2 was positioned nearby during the offloading while the operation was monitored by teams in case of pollution.

 

Bridge and control systems were destroyed by the Houthis (SCA)

 

Planning for the transit took weeks according to Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority. He highlights that the 274-meter (899-foot) tanker has no steering control and was a challenge as a large dead ship tow.

The tanker was being towed by the Aigaion Pelagos, a large anchor handler operated by Megatugs of Greece. The Suez Canal Authority assigned its largest tug, Baraka, along with the Mohamed Bashir, Suez 1, and Suez 2 to the transit. Tug Suez 2 was attached at the stern to act as a rudder to help guide the tanker.

 

 

 

The transit began Saturday, March 8, and took approximately 24 hours. They initially positioned the dead ship to enter the Suez Canal and then conducted the transit in stages. They paused in Great Bitter Lake while the southbound convoy passed. It continued in stages pausing for crew changes. In total 13 pilots were used to guide the Sounion.

The tow operation reached the northern terminus of the canal on March 10. The Aigaion Pelagos is holding north of the canal with the authority saying it has been told the tow is heading to Greece.

Houthi Forces Threaten to Resume Attacks on Shipping

File image courtesy Houthi Military Media

Published Mar 10, 2025 3:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Yemen's Houthi rebels have set a deadline for Israel to lift its blockade on food aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, and have pledged to resume attacks on shipping on Tuesday if the demand is not met. 

On March 2, Israel shut down international food aid convoys to Gaza in order to apply more pressure on the terrorist group Hamas, which continues to hold 24 living Israeli hostages and 34 deceased hostages' remains. The cutoff of aid affects Gazans at a population level, as the destruction of the territory has left hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival.

Last weekend, Israel cut off electricity supplies to Gaza's sole desalination plant at Deir el-Balah, which supplies water to about 600,000 displaced people. The plant has recourse to generators and to solar power, but the loss of a utility grid connection makes its future (and the local water supply) more tenuous. A spokesman for the terror group Hamas accused Israel of committing "collective punishment and a full-fledged war crime" by withholding food, water and electricity.

Yemen's Houthi rebel faction - backed by Iran - agreed to cease its attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in January when Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement. Given the recent breakdown in the ceasefire arrangement, the Houthis warned Friday that attacks in the Red Sea could resume imminently if Israel does not restore access for food trucks in Gaza. 

Houthi militants have been attempting to rearm after more than a year of constant engagement with U.S. forces in the Red Sea, and have sought to supplement Iranian-supplied weaponry with a new Russian government supply relationship. Russia, which has been working to renew its diplomatic ties with the United States, has reportedly been in talks to provide the Houthis with the P-800 Oniks supersonic antiship missile - a munition that Soviet ngineers designed to attack U.S. Navy destroyers, like the ones that engage with Houthi forces in the Red Sea.