Safer Oil Tanker Official Underlines Need to Unload Decaying Ship

The Safer Oil Tanker sailing off Hodeidah, Yemen
The Safer Oil Tanker sailing off Hodeidah, Yemen
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Safer Oil Tanker Official Underlines Need to Unload Decaying Ship

The Safer Oil Tanker sailing off Hodeidah, Yemen
The Safer Oil Tanker sailing off Hodeidah, Yemen

A senior official at the Safer Exploration & Production Operations Company (SEPOC) cast doubts on the ability of international donors and the United Nations to manage the operating expenses of the "Safer" oil tanker should they succeed in restoring the decaying ship.

SEPOC owns the derelict oil tanker that is moored north of Yemen’s main port of Hodeidah.

Explaining that the true challenge lies in operating "Safer" after maintenance is over, the official stressed the need to first unload the oil onboard the rundown ship to avoid an environmental catastrophe.

The Safer oil tanker is laden with some 1.1 million barrels of crude oil and has been stranded with no maintenance since early 2015, soon after the Iran-backed Houthi militias staged their coup in Yemen.

Left to deteriorate, the tanker threatens a grave environmental catastrophe in case of a leak or an explosion taking place.

UK Ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron warned that Houthis continue to reject granting UN experts access to the ship as they are exploiting the tanker’s dire situation to blackmail and pressure the international community.

Speaking under condition of anonymity, the SEPOC official confirmed that the UN and international donors have no plans for operating Safer after concluding its maintenance.

“In the event that maintenance is completed, the tanker needs operations to maintain it, and this requires costs and capabilities. If these capabilities were available to us, we would not have reached this dangerous stage,” the official told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had confirmed that his country would play a positive and constructive role in the UN Security Council to reach an appropriate proposal for resolving the conflict over the tanker.

In a written message to the speaker of the Arab Parliament, Meshaal Al-Salami, the Chinese diplomat relayed China’s understanding of the dangers posed by Safer and his willingness to address the issue in the Security Council.

Houthi militias have been holding the tanker hostage since 2015 and not allowing any teams onboard to perform maintenance works.



UNRWA: West Bank Witnessing Alarming Spillover of Gaza War

26 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarem: Palestinians carry their items to flee their homes as the Israeli army continues its raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem as part of its biggest yet on going military operation in the West Bank. (dpa)
26 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarem: Palestinians carry their items to flee their homes as the Israeli army continues its raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem as part of its biggest yet on going military operation in the West Bank. (dpa)
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UNRWA: West Bank Witnessing Alarming Spillover of Gaza War

26 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarem: Palestinians carry their items to flee their homes as the Israeli army continues its raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem as part of its biggest yet on going military operation in the West Bank. (dpa)
26 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarem: Palestinians carry their items to flee their homes as the Israeli army continues its raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem as part of its biggest yet on going military operation in the West Bank. (dpa)

UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said on Wednesday that West Bank is undergoing an alarming spillover of the Gaza war.

“More than 50 people, including children, have been reported killed since the Israeli forces’ operation started five weeks ago,” he said.

In a statement posted on his X account, Lazzarini said that destruction of public infrastructure, bulldozing roads and access restrictions are commonplace.

People’s lives have been turned upside down, bringing back traumas and loss, he said, adding that around 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes especially in refugee camps in the north.

“Fear, uncertainty, and grief once again prevail. Affected camps lie in ruins,” he wrote.

The UN official showed that more than 5,000 children who normally go to UNRWA schools have been deprived of education, some for over 10 weeks now.

Also, patients cannot access healthcare, families are cut off from water, electricity and other basic services, he said.

“More and more people are relying on humanitarian aid at a time when aid agencies are overstretched and severely under-resourced,” Lazzarini noted.

“Our UNRWA teams are tracking displaced people and continue to provide them with much needed food, health care, and basics to keep them warm,” he added.

“This must end,” the UN official concluded.

Meanwhile, the recently-appointed Palestinian governor of Tulkarem, Abdallah Kmeil, said on Wednesday that the Israeli forces had notified residents of their intention to demolish 11 homes in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the northern West Bank, where more than 5,000 people live.

“The Israeli occupation notice to demolish 11 homes under the pretext of constructing a road stretching from the camp square towards the Al-Manshiya neighborhood, is considered a new massacre against this camp through systematic destruction and sabotage,” he said.

Kmeil added that Israel’s unprecedented attack on Tulkarem and its camp will not break the resolve of its people.