“The private companies responsible for the rescue operation concluded that conditions were not conducive to carrying out the towing operation and that it was not safe to proceed,” the Red Sea security mission Aspedas reported on its X account.
Private companies are now studying alternative solutions, without providing further details on the issue of safety, in an area where commercial ships are constantly being targeted.
This came the day after the mission announced, on Monday, that the towing operation was “about to begin.”
In August, the Greek-flagged ship Sunion was attacked by the Houthis, causing a fire on board and engine failure, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The Houthis announced that they had booby-trapped and then blown up the oil tanker “Sunion”, which they had previously attacked in the Red Sea, causing several fires on board before “allowing” it to be rescued.
The crew of the ship “Sunion”, consisting of 23 Filipinos and two Russians, was evacuated the day after the attack by a French frigate participating in the European mission.
The European mission announced that it aims to “facilitate the prevention of an unprecedented environmental disaster in the region.”
“It continues to focus on its original mission, which is to act as a trusted provider of maritime security from the European Union, with the aim of contributing to freedom of navigation for commercial vessels in its area of operations,” she added.
The Aspides mission was launched in February to protect commercial ships from Houthi attacks.
Since November, the Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, declaring this as “support for Gaza,” which has been under Israeli attack since October 7.
The Houthi attacks affected shipping traffic in the strategic region, through which 12 percent of global trade passes, prompting the United States to form an international naval coalition and strike Houthi targets in Yemen, with Britain participating in some of the strikes.
The mission of the “Aspedes” is purely defensive and allows it to fire to defend ships or defend itself.
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