The tugboat Baraka and three other tugboats belonging to SCA participated in the towing and securing operation of the tanker
Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of SCA announced today, Monday, the success of the towing operation of the oil tanker SOUNION by four tugboats on its journey through the Suez Canal as part of the southern convoy coming from the Red Sea and heading to Greece.The ship, which flies the Greek flag, is 274 meters long, 50 meters wide, and has a draft of 31 feet.
Taking complex measures
Rabie explained that the preparations for the tanker towing operation required taking complex measures over several months to unload the tanker’s cargo of 150,000 tons of crude oil before allowing it to cross the canal due to the dangerous situation of the tanker after it was attacked in the Red Sea last August, which resulted in a massive fire in the command room, the engine room and the living rooms, and the failure of the control and command devices in a way that made it difficult for the tanker to sail, increasing the risks of pollution, oil spills or explosion.
Unloading the cargo in the Suez Canal
Added that the process of unloading the cargo in the Suez Canal area was subject to complex procedures carried out by the rescue companies AMBERY and MEGA TUGS appointed by the tanker’s owners, as they worked through a joint action plan in cooperation and under the full supervision of the Authority’s maritime rescue team to unload the cargo onto another similar tanker according to accurate unloading rates and calculations to prevent any damage or division in the tanker’s hull.
Raising the level of readiness
The head of SCA revealed the efforts of the central committee for combating pollution affiliated to the authority in following up on the unloading of the cargo and ensuring the measures taken by the two rescue companies to ensure that there is no leakage or pollution in the outer environment of the tanker, in addition to raising the level of readiness in the event that support and assistance is required during the process of towing the tanker in the navigation channel through the presence of the authority’s anti-pollution launch “Kasht 2“.
Accompanying rescue tug AIGAION PELAGOS
Rabie pointed out that the tanker “SOUNION“ crossed the canal towed by the accompanying rescue tug AIGAION PELAGOS, and was guided by the tug “Baraka”, the largest tug of the Authority with a pulling force of 160 tons, and secured by three other tugboats belonging to the Authority, namely the tugboats Mohamed Bashir and Suez 1 from both sides, and the tug Suez 2 worked as a rudder from the back.
The towing process took approximately 24 hours
He added that the towing process took approximately 24 hours with the participation of 13 guides in the areas of the draft and the canal and was carried out in several stages interspersed with waiting periods and changing guides, as the tanker was towed from the Suez draft on Saturday evening to the waiting area in the Great Bitter Lakes to await the passage of the ships of the northern and southern convoys and complete the process of changing guides and then completing the towing process to the Balah area where the process of changing guides was carried out again and then the tanker was towed to Port Said with close follow-up from the navigation control center and the guidance stations located along the canal.
The readiness of the Suez Canal
The Chairman of the Authority stressed the readiness of the Suez Canal to deal with special and non-traditional crossing cases through an integrated work system that includes qualified cadres and material and technical capabilities, including conducting a full simulation of this type of crossing operations at the Maritime Training and Simulation Academy to ensure their success, in addition to the diverse package of maritime and navigational services provided by the Authority that suit the different requirements of customers in normal and emergency conditions according to international procedures and standards and by adopting the principle of safety first to ensure safe crossing and maintain the safety of the Canal.
Maritime rescue operations
On the other hand, Captain Lars Tesmar, a senior consultant at Brand Marine Consultant, which specializes in maritime rescue operations, confirmed that the process of unloading the tanker’s cargo was a complex process that required accurate calculations in coordination with many parties, praising the cooperation he saw from the Authority’s maritime rescue team and their extensive experience in this field, which enabled them to facilitate the work and complete the necessary requirements for towing the tanker through the Canal, extending his thanks to the Suez Canal Authority and everyone who participated in this successful operation.
MV Sounion,
It is noteworthy that on 21 and 23 August 2024, the Greek-registered MV Sounion, an oil tanker carrying 150 000 tons of crude oil, was subjected to separate attacks by militants in the southern Red Sea. While the vessel was not under EUNAVFOR Aspides protection, it requested assistance following the initial attack using a distress signal.
The Sounion was the third vessel operated by Athens-based Delta Tankers to be attacked in the Red Sea this month. The attack caused a fire onboard, which the crew extinguished, Delta Tankers said in a statement.
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Crew of oil tanker rescued after multiple attacks in Red Sea
