Yemeni Government Calls on Immediate UN Intervention for Derelict Oil Tanker

Safer oil tanker, Getty Images
Safer oil tanker, Getty Images
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Yemeni Government Calls on Immediate UN Intervention for Derelict Oil Tanker

Safer oil tanker, Getty Images
Safer oil tanker, Getty Images

Yemen’s government has urged the UN Security Council to intervene to prevent a rundown oil tanker, Safer, from leaking more than a million barrels of oil into the Red Sea.

Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hadhrami called on the UNSC to hold a special session following the Iran-backed Houthi militia’s refusal to allow UN experts to conduct their five-year maintenance on the ship.

Al-Hadhrami, in a letter, urged the Council to undertake its responsibilities to avoid an environmental catastrophe.

An oil leak from the Safer’s tanks would be “one of the biggest environmental disasters in the region and the world,” he told Christoph Heusgen, Germany’s Permanent Representative to the UN and President of UNSC.

The Houthis have rejected all independent international requests to board the vessel, including the latest one from UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths, who demanded access for an international technical team.

Al-Hadhrami, in his letter, briefed the UNSC about all government and international efforts, including the government approving a separate proposal to resolve the Safer oil tanker crisis presented recently by Griffiths.

Houthis have rejected the proposal.

Al-Hadhrami quoted previous government letters and statements to the UN which showcase the oil tanker’s deteriorating situation.

The tanker, which has been floating near the port city of Hodeidah since 1989 following an oil spill, is at risk of exploding and causing a massive environmental disaster.

Safer – often described by officials as a ticking time bomb – has not docked since 2014 and is currently in waters controlled by the Houthis.

The minister called on the Council to address the situation immediately and separate the issue from Yemen’s ongoing crisis.

An environmental catastrophe would pose a more immediate threat to Yemen and the region, he added.



Death Toll in Lebanon Crosses 3,000 in 13-Month Israel-Hezbollah War, Health Ministry Says

A building destroyed during an Israeli airstrike southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh, 03 November 2024. (EPA)
A building destroyed during an Israeli airstrike southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh, 03 November 2024. (EPA)
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Death Toll in Lebanon Crosses 3,000 in 13-Month Israel-Hezbollah War, Health Ministry Says

A building destroyed during an Israeli airstrike southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh, 03 November 2024. (EPA)
A building destroyed during an Israeli airstrike southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh, 03 November 2024. (EPA)

More than 3,000 people have been killed in Lebanon during 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday. At least 13,492 have been injured.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’ surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both allied with Iran.

The conflict dramatically escalated on Sept. 23 with intense Israeli airstrikes on south and east Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, leaving hundreds dead and leading to the displacement of nearly 1.2 million people.

Israel began a ground invasion of south Lebanon on Oct. 1, causing wide destruction in border villages but making little advances on the ground inside Lebanon.

In Israel, 72 people have been killed from Hezbollah attacks, including 30 soldiers.