The Yemeni government calls on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to convene an extraordinary session dealing with the issue of the Safer oil supertanker moored in the Red Sea off the country's coast to prevent an ecological catastrophe in case of oil leakage, Yemeni ambassador to Russia Ahmed Al-Waheishi told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th July, 2020) The Yemeni government calls on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to convene an extraordinary session dealing with the issue of the Safer oil supertanker moored in the Red Sea off the country's coast to prevent an ecological catastrophe in case of oil leakage, Yemeni ambassador to Russia Ahmed Al-Waheishi told Sputnik.
Last week, Yemeni Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Hadhrami reiterated his call on the UNSC to take up the issue given the Houthis prevented a UN technical team from conducting the ship's maintenance. According to the Yemeni top diplomat, thye possible environmental disaster severely threatens not only Yemen, but the region in a whole.
"Al-Hadhrami called upon the distinguished UNSC to assume its responsibility and convene a special session to discuss this vital issue in order to take the necessary measures to compel the Houthis to comply with our collective calls by immediately and unconditionally granting the UN technical team access to the Safer oil tanker to avert one of the biggest environmental catastrophes in the region," the ambassador said.
Al-Waheishi stressed that the Yemeni Foreign Ministry was seriously concerned by the Houthis and the United Nations' failure to recognize the scope of the hazard.
According to the ambassador, the situation further deteriorated last May, when damage to a pipe on board the tanker resulted in seawater seeping into the engine compartment, which further aggravated the risk of sinking or explosion.
The tanker, which some fear could explode at any time due to significant structural deterioration, fell into the hands of the rebel Houthi movement when they took control of the area in which the vessel was docked five years ago. There are over one million barrels of oil inside, and the entire cargo is worth nearly $77 million.
In late June, the UNSC called on the Houthis to grant unconditional access for United Nations technicians to assess the tanker, make urgent repairs and recommend how oil can be safely extracted from the vessel.
