Iran's arm admits its failure to disrupt the liberated ports, and the maritime insurance agreement drives it crazy
English - Thursday 31 August 2023 الساعة 04:50 pm
Mokha, NewsYemen, exclusive:
The Houthi group, the Iranian arm in Yemen, acknowledged its failure to disrupt the liberated ports by forcing merchants to import through the ports of Hodeidah under its control, while it was deeply disturbed by the government's efforts to confront this.
The Minister of Transport of the Houthi government, called Abdul Wahab Al-Durra, said that “recovery in the port of Hodeidah is still partial and limited,” and that “the activity of the port of Hodeidah is currently limited to only 35% of the port’s capacity,” in his statements when he received the United Nations redeployment team.
Minister Houthi indicated that the port of Hodeidah is still facing difficulty with the increased cost of transporting goods due to delays and the cost of marine insurance, acknowledging that the difference in the price of transport between the port of Aden and the port of Hodeidah amounts to $2,000 per container.
The Houthi minister renewed his group's great annoyance with the government's recent step of signing an agreement with the United Nations to reduce the cost of marine insurance, as he referred to the objection submitted by his ministry after the signing of the agreement.
The Houthi militia believes that the government’s success in reducing the cost of marine insurance through the agreement will constitute a blow to its continued efforts to disrupt the activity of the liberated ports in favor of the ports of Hodeidah under its control, in light of the technical problems that the port of Hodeidah is suffering from, especially regarding the issue of the destroyed “cranes” that hinder its ability to receive and unload Container ships.
This is confirmed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gulf of Aden Ports Corporation, Dr. Muhammad Amzarba, who in his statements to the army website “September 26” described the government’s success through this agreement as an “important and strategic” step that will be considered a major achievement for the legitimate government, and will contribute to reviving the economic situation for the country.
Amzarba explained that the cost of marine insurance on ships coming to Yemeni ports multiplied about 16 times after the war, noting that the Yemeni private sector is incurring losses exceeding $400 million, in exchange for covering this insurance cost, to persuade shipowners to come to Yemeni ports, during the past years. .
He said that the agreement stipulates that the government deposit $50 million in an English bank, to contract with a protection club called "Lloyd's" in Britain, to cover the insurance, so that the port of Aden and Mukalla will be under this coverage, to reduce shipping costs for ships, stressing that this It means lower commodity prices, increased growth in port activities, and higher state resources from customs and tax revenues.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gulf of Aden Ports Corporation confirmed that the size of the impact of the return of navigation activity to the port of Hodeidah on the port of Aden is “relative and not of the size promoted by the Houthi militias, and that the activity of the port of Aden continues,” pointing out that the cost of shipping to the port of Hodeidah increases by about 50%. Currently, it is about the cost of shipping to the ports in the liberated areas.
