The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has stepped up calls for an end to attacks on commercial vessels at the Red Sea following the recent strike on "MV Sounion."

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez condemned the recent attack as unjustifiable, emphasizing the importance of maritime shipping in global trade despite geopolitical tensions.

"I am extremely concerned about the situation regarding the tanker MV Sounion, which was targeted while transiting the Southern Red Sea. The tanker is carrying some 150,000 tonnes of oil on board, which is approximately one million barrels of crude oil," he said.

"This is yet another unacceptable attack on international shipping, putting the lives of innocent seafarers at risk. I am grateful to all those involved in the rescue efforts for ensuring the seafarers have now all been safely evacuated."

Dominguez noted that while crew members were evacuated safely, the risk of an oil spill, posing an extremely serious environmental hazard, "remains high" as he noted there is widespread concern about the damage such a spill would cause within the region.

IMO is communicating with national, regional and UN entities, as well as other stakeholders, regarding the ongoing incident and it said that the agency is ready to offer support with any technical assistance to address the ongoing safety, security and environmental challenges posed by the stricken vessel.

"I continue to monitor the situation closely and reiterate my call for an immediate end to the illegal, cowardly and unjustifiable attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area," Dominguez said.

"Merchant ships trading essential supplies and the seafarers serving on them should be free to navigate worldwide, unhindered by geopolitical tensions," he added.

The European Union's mission in the Red Sea, Aspides, said on Monday that the salvage operation of the oil tanker MV Sounion is set to begin although "several fires" continued to burn on the Greek-registered vessel.

There were, however, no visible signs of an oil spill — which would be among the largest from a ship in recorded history and could cause an environmental catastrophe in an area that is particularly dangerous to access.

"The MV SOUNION, due to the large amount of crude oil it carries, presents a significant environmental threat. Private companies are involved in the salvage operation that is about to start," Aspides said in a social media post.

The Houthi group, aligned with Iran, has been undertaking a campaign targeting commercial shipping as a means to support the Palestinians amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.