Guterres: A dire catastrophe threatening Yemen and the region due to the Houthis' obstruction of the maintenance of the "SAFER"
English - Saturday 15 August 2020 الساعة 06:54 pm
Newsyemen, United Nations News Center:
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, expressed his grave concern about the danger posed by the oil tanker Safer, anchored off the western coast of Yemen, as the old tanker has not been maintained since approximately 2015.
In a statement read by his spokesman on Friday evening, and published by the United Nations News Center, Guterres warned that any major oil spill, explosion, or fire may have severe environmental and humanitarian consequences for Yemen and the region.
In this regard, he said, "Any potential oil spill into the Red Sea will severely harm the sea's ecosystems, on which 30 million people depend in Yemen and fishermen throughout the region."
He added, "Moreover, any oil spill will lead to the closure of the port of Hodeidah for several months, which will exacerbate the already severe economic crisis in Yemen and prevent millions of people from obtaining food and other basic commodities."
The Secretary-General of the United Nations urged the Houthi militia - Iran's arm in Yemen - to remove any obstacles to efforts to mitigate the risks posed by the oil tanker, without delay, calling for independent technical experts to have unconditional access to the tanker to assess its condition and make any initial repairs. Possible.
"This technical evaluation will provide crucial scientific evidence for the next steps that must be taken in order to avoid disaster."
The statement indicated that on May 27, water leaked into the engine room of the tanker, threatening to destabilize and sink the entire ship, and possibly spill all the oil into the sea.
He noted that the temporary repair succeeded in containing the leak, but it is unlikely to continue for a very long time.
The UN statement renewed the warning that the oil leakage into the Red Sea water will have catastrophic environmental and humanitarian consequences, including the destruction of livelihoods and the closure of the port of Hodeidah, which is a vital lifeline for millions of Yemenis who depend on commercial imports and humanitarian aid.
Environmental risks
The statement pointed out that independent experts developed a model indicating what would cause a large oil leak, and in every possible scenario, experts indicated that coastal areas were affected the most, in Taiz, Hodeidah and Hajjah, most of which are under the control of the Houthis.
International experts warned that if a leakage occurred during the next two months, 1.6 million Yemenis would be directly affected, at a time when about 90% of the population of these communities are still in need of humanitarian aid.
The statement stated that the Yemeni government and the Houthi group had formally requested, in March 2018, to help the United Nations to make the first step a technical assessment in order to provide impartial evidence that would lead the parties towards the next steps, which may include the safe disposal of oil and disposal of the reservoir if the parties agree on it.
