Reuters: Targeting of the “SOUNION” doubled insurance premiums in Red Sea
The cost of insuring ships sailing through the Red Sea has doubled following the attack by the Yemeni armed forces on the oil tanker “SOUNION,” Reuters agency reported.
Follow ups – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:
The agency quoted sources in the insurance sector last Wednesday who refused to disclose their identities, the agency said that additional war risk insurance premiums paid when ships sail through the Red Sea have reached 0.75% of the ship’s value compared to 0.4% before the attack, although it was higher at 1% in February, according to industry evaluations of risk levels.
The sources added that the recent cost increase could reach hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single trip through the region, even though prices of ships owned by China have decreased by up to 50% since February due to reduced risks of being targets.
It also quoted an industry source saying that some insurance companies currently do not provide coverage across the region due to potential risks of the tanker sinking.
An official in the EU’s “Aspides” naval mission cited a message sent on August 28 to maritime rescue coordination centers, stating that they were assessing “the feasibility of preventive measures” such as the “SOUNION” vessel’s towing.
The message stated, “This situation poses a serious and imminent threat of regional pollution, with coastal states being most at risk.”
A maritime security source told Reuters that fires broke out on board the tanker on Wednesday, which was carrying a cargo of one million barrels of crude oil.
The director of the “SOUNION” company explained to Reuters that Delta Tankers (the ship’s owner) is doing everything possible to transport the ship and cargo, adding, “For security reasons, we are not in a position to comment further.”
The targeting of the “SOUNION” tanker was due to its owner’s company’s violation of the ban on entering the occupied Palestine ports.
It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sana’a confirmed that it had allowed, after contacts from several international parties, the tanker to be towed from the site where it was targeted.