The on-fire Sounion suezmax is expected to be towed from its location off Yemen today.
Two tugs, Hercules and Gladiator, have been primed to carry out the delicate operation.
The tanker was hit by multiple projectiles from the Houthis 12 days ago, with the crew evacuating and the Houthis then boarding the Sounion and detonating a series of explosives.
Laden with 1.1m barrels of Iraqi crude, the Delta Tankers ship risks becoming the fifth worst tanker spill of all time.
Salvors will now make a decision whether to carry out an urgent ship-to-ship transfer of the Sounion’s cargo or to tow it to a port.
Satellite images show a clear oil spill stretching for a number of kilometres from the Sounion’s stern.
A merchant vessel transiting the Red Sea was struck by two unknown projectiles early this morning, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said in an advisory note. A third explosion was also reported in close proximity to the vessel.
“Damage control is underway,” the agency said, citing the ship’s master. Private security firms indicate the ship involved is the Blue Lagoon 1, a shuttle tanker.
Later on Monday, the UKMTO reported a second attack off the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeida.
The private security firm Ambrey said an aerial drone hit a merchant ship, though no damage or injuries were reported.
Houthi militants said on Saturday that they attacked a Liberia-flagged container vessel for a second time in the Gulf of Aden. The attack on the 2,500 teu Groton, which is on charter to CMA CGM, was the second such strike on the same ship in the space of a month.
Energy News Beat