United Nations, Sep 13 : Members of the UN Security Council made an unusual appeal to help prevent the “catastrophic ecological human, maritime, and humanitarian threat posed by the Safer tanker” off Yemen.In a statement issued on Monday, members of the council expressed their deep concern over the danger posed by a abandoned oil storage tanker that is located in the harbor of Hodeidah and praised the pledges to launch the launch of a UN emergency operation to rescue the tanker.
They demanded the disbursement of the pledges and for the other UN members and private sector donors to support the initiative “in order to avoid an environmental, humanitarian and maritime disaster”.
The council members emphasized their hope of the UN be prepared on the first day of meeting the funding goal to immediately begin the oil transfer process, Xinhua news agency reported.
The UN has received pledges of $64 million of the $80 million requested for the first-phase of the emergency operation to neutralize the “floating timebomb”.
The tanker that is in disrepair which is currently carrying over 1 million barrels of oil, hasn’t been maintained or inspected since the year 2015.
In the month of May, 2020 water from the sea leaked into the engine room.A temporary fix provided by personnel from the Safer corporation was successful in stopping the leak.
But the fix wasn’t meant to last long.
In the press release the council members applauded the positive effects of the temporary cease-fire in Yemen and said it resulted in 60 percent reduction in deaths as well as the quadrupling of fuel supply through Hodeidah port, and permitted commercial flights to return from capital Sanaa allowing Yemenis to seek out medical aid in other countries.
They urged the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia to urgently increase their efforts and become more open in talks under the under the auspices of the UN to reach an agreement on “an expanded truce that could translate into a long-lasting cease-fire”.
They urged both sides to strengthen their the dialogue with UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg on all aspects of negotiations, avoid conditions, and ensure that their economic experts work in conjunction with the UN to take measures to address the financial and economic crises.
The council members have condemned all actions which threatened to undermine the truce, and reiterated that there was no solution to the conflict that is military.They demanded an end to any form of apparent military actions in the violation of the Hodeidah Agreement.
The council members spoke about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the ongoing danger of hunger, and urged donors to fully support the UN humanitarian response plan and to support the Yemeni government’s efforts to stabilize the economy.
The press release came following the Thursday’s Security Council consultations on Yemen.
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