Cairo: The Yemeni government has called for “firm” international action against the Al Houthi militia after they advised the UN to delay preparations for sending a mission to inspect a decaying oil ship docked at a rebel-held port.
Last November, Al Houthis gave their approval to the UN to send experts to assess the vessel Safer loaded with about 1.1 million barrels of crude oil anchored for years off a Yemeni Red Sea coast.
Fears have mounted that the supertanker with its oil shipment has started to fall apart due to lack of maintenance. The UN was due to send an inspection team early next month.
But earlier this week, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the schedule was uncertain after the Houthis signalled that they are considering a “review” of their approval of the mission.
Political gains
“The UN and the international Security Council should take firm stances against the terrorist Al Houthi militia’s tampering with the file of the Safer tanker and their use of it to blackmail and pressure the international community to make political gains,” Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al Eryani said.
The minister held the Iran-allied rebels fully responsible for what he called an imminent environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe as a result of leak, sinking or explosion of the tanker.
“There must be a firm international effort to avert the occurrence of the disaster for which Yemen, the region and the world will pay the price,” Al Eryani told the Yemeni news agency Saba.
Al Houthis plunged Yemen into a devastating war in late 2014 when they unseated the internationally recognised government and seized parts of the impoverished country, including the capital Sana’a.
