在经历了几个月的不确定性之后，悬挂希腊国旗的油轮Sounion成功卸载了15万吨原油。“Sounion”号油轮在8月份遭到胡塞武装的袭击，导致油轮严重受损，引发了人们对大规模石油泄漏的严重担忧。

2024年8月21日，MV Sounion号在也门附近的红海航行时遭到胡塞叛军的袭击。这次袭击导致油轮着火，没有动力，造成了危险的局面。

专家警告说，如果这艘油轮破裂或爆炸，可能会造成比1989年臭名昭著的埃克森瓦尔迪兹号油轮泄漏更严重的环境灾难。

袭击发生后不久，救援行动就开始了，苏尼翁号的船员安全撤离。希腊油轮公司德尔塔油轮公司（Delta Tankers）派出另一艘船德尔塔蓝号（Delta Blue）帮助转运石油。

由于胡塞武装的袭击造成了严重破坏，包括引发多处火灾的爆炸，这次行动非常复杂和危险。

埃及当局和希腊官员共同制定了一项安全卸载石油的计划。10月7日，在一组专家努力灭火并稳定船只后，转移过程开始了。

袭击发生后，Sounion号失去了电力，这意味着船员们不得不依靠便携式泵将石油抽出。

由于这艘船已经燃烧了好几个星期，行动变得更加困难。大火对油轮造成了严重的结构损坏，包括机舱和控制系统的破坏。

尽管面临这些挑战，该团队还是将原油转移到了Delta Blue油轮上，该油轮将原油运送到了安全地带。

这次转运在苏伊士运河以南的苏伊士锚地进行，并进行了严密的监控，以确保一切顺利。

随着石油现在安全卸载，灾难性漏油的直接威胁已经避免。官员们估计，整个行动大约需要三到四周的时间才能完成。

自以色列和加沙冲突开始以来，胡塞武装声称对几起针对商船的袭击负责，并称他们的目标是与美国和英国有关联的船只。

虽然Sounion与这场冲突没有直接联系，但它成为这场日益严重的威胁的最新受害者之一。

专家警告说，如果油轮破裂，泄漏可能是灾难性的。它的规模可能是1989年埃克森·瓦尔迪兹号（Exxon Valdez）事故的四倍。瓦尔迪兹号事故向阿拉斯加海域泄漏了大约1000万加仑的石油。

▲Image Credits: EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/X

▲Image Credits: EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/X

▲Image Credits: EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/X

▲Image Credits: EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/X

英文原文

After months of uncertainty, the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion has successfully unloaded its cargo of 150,000 tons of crude oil. The Sounion tanker was damaged by the Houthi attack in August which left the tanker severely damaged and raised serious fears of a massive oil spill.



The MV Sounion was attacked on August 21, 2024, by Houthi rebels while it was travelling in the Red Sea near Yemen. The attack left the tanker on fire and without power, creating a dangerous situation.



Experts had warned that if the tanker had broken up or exploded, it could have caused an environmental disaster larger than the infamous Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.



The salvage operation began soon after the attack, with the crew of the Sounion evacuated safely. The Greek tanker company, Delta Tankers, sent another ship, the Delta Blue, to help transfer the oil.



Due to the severe damage caused by the Houthi attack, including explosions that set off multiple fires, the operation was incredibly complicated and dangerous.



Egyptian authorities and Greek officials worked together to create a plan to safely unload the oil. The transfer process started on October 7, after a team of specialists worked to extinguish the fires and stabilise the ship.



The Sounion had no power after the attack, which meant the crew had to rely on portable pumps to get the oil out.



The operation was made more difficult by the fact that the ship had been burning for weeks. The fire had caused major structural damage to the tanker, including the destruction of its engine room and control systems.



Despite these challenges, the team was able to transfer the oil to the Delta Blue tanker, which took the crude oil to safety.



The transfer took place at the Suez Anchorage, south of the Suez Canal, and involved close monitoring to make sure everything went smoothly.



With the oil now safely offloaded, the immediate threat of a disastrous oil spill has been avoided. Officials estimate the entire operation took about three to four weeks to complete.



The Houthis have claimed responsibility for several attacks on commercial vessels since the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict, saying that they are targeting ships linked to the U.S. and the U.K.



Though the Sounion had no direct connection to the conflict, it became one of the latest victims of this growing threat.



Experts had warned that if the tanker had broken apart, the spill could have been catastrophic. It could have been up to four times larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster, which spilt about 10 million gallons of oil into the waters of Alaska in 1989.

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