UN reveals Houthi plans to stall rescue of the oil tanker Safer – Details
Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Grisley revealed the Houthi terrorist militia’s unwillingness to cooperate with the United Nations to solve the oil tanker crisis.
The UN has offered Houthi cooperation to establish an escrow account for the sale of 1.1 million barrels of oil on a dilapidated tanker Safer, Grisley said, noting that despite their initial agreement, he is confident that they will not comply.
Safer’s tool for Iran to threaten the region
According to The National, the Safer, which is connected via a pipeline to the oil-rich city of Marib, is anchored off the coast of Ras Isa in the Red Sea, at the mercy of Houthi forces. The militia has not maintained the damaged vessel since at least 2016, making it a serious environmental threat to Yemen and other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Djibouti and others, in the event of an oil spill or ship explosion.
The newspaper said such a ship has become a time bomb that Iran threatens countries in the Middle East. However, the UN may boycott these plans after Iran signs a memorandum of understanding with the Houthis to unload oil on a temporary ship in an emergency operation.
It continued: “After that, the plan is to replace Safer with a permanent ship, but the Houthis have said they will not make financial contributions to the plan”.
Imminent danger
Grisley’s main focus, the newspaper reported, is to raise the remaining $20 million to cover the $80 million cost of the emergency, which he had hoped to do by the end of June.
Earlier this month, the United Nations established a pooled fund to raise $5 million to achieve this goal.
Grisley said: “Most of the systems on board are broken, including a major system for pumping inert gas into oil chambers, and the oxygen in the atmosphere is now available in those rooms, so a small flame can cause an explosion”.
He added: “Time is of the essence in this process because as currents and winds increase and winter becomes more turbulent, the chances of a whistle exploding or a massive oil leak increase”.
