“Safer bomb” .. Al Houthi obstructs the arrival of a UN team for the fourth time

The Yemeni government accused the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia of backing down for the fourth time from an agreement that would allow the access of the United Nations technical team and the start of the task of assessing and maintaining the oil tanker SAFER.

The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism in the government, Muammar Al-Eryani, said that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia continues to evade and manipulate the file of the Safer oil tanker, anchored off Ras Issa port in Hodeidah city, and put more obstacles and obstacles.

The minister added, in a statement to the official Yemeni news agency “Saba”, that the militia is using the SAFER oil tanker as a time bomb to blackmail the international community in order to achieve political and material gains without regard for the serious consequences resulting from the leakage, sinking, or explosion of the tanker, which puts Yemen, the region and the whole world. In front of an imminent and unprecedented environmental, economic and humanitarian disaster.

The Yemeni official confirmed that the Houthi militia is using the tanker Safer as a tool for pressure, blackmail and bargaining in the face of the legitimate government, the region and the world, without any concern for the lives of Yemenis and the interests of Yemen, nor the disastrous consequences that will extend for decades to come, wondering if the international community is aware of this.

Earlier, the Yemeni government warned of increased risks due to the erosion of the “SAFER” oil bomb floating off the Red Sea, which is under Houthi control.

The Minister of Water and Environment, Tawfiq Al-Sharjabi, said that the corrosion of the structure of the oil tanker whistled after the seawater leaked into its engine compartment last May, and the observation of an oil slick in September at a distance of 50 kilometers to the west and then moving it from its place, are increasing threats.

The Minister of Water and Environment welcomed “the UN Security Council’s adoption of a resolution that holds the Houthi militia responsible for the environmental and economic disaster that will result in the event of an oil spill from the Safer tanker, anchored off the coast of Hodeidah Governorate, and failure to respond to warnings of dire consequences or to allow the United Nations team to access the tanker and conduct the necessary treatments”.

The Yemeni minister stressed the importance of addressing the growing threat of the floating oil tank, which contains more than a million barrels of crude oil, and could cause a dire environmental, economic and humanitarian disaster for Yemen, the countries of the region, and international shipping.

Al-Sharjabi added that the tanker is in a dangerous and critical situation due to the aging and the suspension of maintenance since 2015, pointing out that the visit of the UN expert team and maintenance is no longer sufficient to stop the disaster, which the avoidance of which is subject to the immediate emptying of the floating tank of oil.

The Yemeni official called on “the Security Council and the international community to change the way it deals with this issue, which is exploited by the Hawthi militia to bargain and blackmail the international community.” He also called for confronting “Al-Houthi’s failure to respond to international warnings of the serious consequences of preventing the UN team from reaching the tanker to carry out the necessary treatment for six years, ignoring the catastrophic effects that could result from the oil spill or the tanker explosion.”

He said his government is keen on serious cooperation and facilitating the tasks of the United Nations and its team to empty the reservoir completely independent of the nature of the conflict in the region, given that it is an environmental, economic and humanitarian threat that will follow everyone’s collapse.

The Houthi militia, using the Safer oil tank, is considered an “Iranian bomb” in the Red Sea to blackmail the international community. Since March 2018, they have been blocking the arrival of a United Nations team at the request of the Yemeni government to maintain the dilapidated ship, which raises world fears of the biggest environmental disaster.

And Safir, which was made 45 years ago and is used as a floating storage platform, loaded with about 1.1 million barrels of crude oil, estimated to cost about 40 million dollars.

The vessel has not been maintained since 2015, eroding and deteriorating its structure. On May 27th, water leaked into the ship’s engine room and threatened to explode or break up, causing its cargo to seep into the Red Sea.