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.



Israel Continues Deductions from PA Funds Despite Abbas’ Decree

Israeli forces during a military operation in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday. (AP)
Israeli forces during a military operation in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday. (AP)
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Israel Continues Deductions from PA Funds Despite Abbas’ Decree

Israeli forces during a military operation in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday. (AP)
Israeli forces during a military operation in Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday. (AP)

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz took another step against the Palestinian Authority (PA), ordering the seizure of funds it pays to Palestinian prisoners held in Israel or those holding Israeli citizenship.

Israel’s Defense Ministry said the sanctions, imposed by Katz, are part of an economic crackdown by the security establishment against what it called “terrorist organizations.”

“The terror funds ordered to be seized by the defense minister were paid by the PA to terrorists serving prison sentences in Israel and to released prisoners,” according to a statement by the ministry.

Israel’s Maariv daily reported that the funds seized by Katz were paid by the PA to prisoners serving sentences in Israeli jails, released detainees, and their families.

The decision applies to “all residents of Jerusalem and Israeli citizens (Arab Israelis),” according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.

Katz’s move comes despite a decree last month by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas canceling legal provisions related to financial stipends for prisoners, martyrs, and the wounded.

The decree also transferred the digital database and financial allocations for the payments from the PA to a non-governmental organization.

Abbas issued the order after years of resisting US and Israeli pressure to halt PA payments to militants and detainees.

Israel began deducting funds from the PA’s tax revenues in 2018 to offset these payments, which Israeli officials call “pay-for-slay,” referring to stipends given to the families of prisoners and those killed in conflict.

The issue remains a source of ongoing tension.

In a bid to ease tensions, the PA years ago integrated released prisoners into government ministries, agencies, and security forces, placing many on early retirement. However, the move failed to satisfy Israel.

When US President Donald Trump took office in 2017, Abbas sought to resolve the crisis his own way, issuing a decree that sparked widespread controversy and domestic backlash.

The PA provides monthly stipends starting at 2,000 Israeli shekels ($550) for released prisoners, with payments increasing based on the length of their incarceration.

Current detainees receive at least 4,000 shekels ($1,100), with payments reaching 8,000 or 12,000 shekels for those who have served more than 20 or 30 years—though such cases are rare.

Last week, Israel seized $90 million from the PA’s tax revenues, known as “clearance funds,” redirecting the money to Israeli families of individuals killed in Palestinian attacks.

The latest Israeli measures follow Abbas’ decree and are part of Israel’s ongoing policy of deducting PA funds over the prisoner payment issue.