UN Security Council to Discuss Yemen Oil Tanker Impasse

Decaying oil storage tanker FSO Safer off the coast of Yemen - AFP
Decaying oil storage tanker FSO Safer off the coast of Yemen - AFP
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UN Security Council to Discuss Yemen Oil Tanker Impasse

Decaying oil storage tanker FSO Safer off the coast of Yemen - AFP
Decaying oil storage tanker FSO Safer off the coast of Yemen - AFP

The UN Security Council will meet this week to discuss a long-abandoned fuel tanker off Yemen amid growing fears of a catastrophic oil spill, diplomats said Wednesday.

Thursday's meeting, requested by Britain, comes after Houthi militias said an agreement to allow a UN mission to inspect the tanker had "reached a dead end."

The 45-year-old fuel vessel FSO Safer has 1.1 million barrels of crude on board and has been abandoned near Yemen's western port of Hodeidah since 2015.

UN inspectors were initially meant to assess the tanker last year but the mission has been repeatedly delayed over disagreements with the Houthis.

A spokesperson for Britain at the UN said there was a "grave risk" of an oil spill "which would be catastrophic for Yemen and the region."

"The responsibility for the tanker lies with the Houthis and they must cooperate with the UN. We are bringing this issue to the UN Security Council tomorrow to discuss next steps," he added, AFP reported.

The Houthi said Tuesday that negotiations with the UN had reached an impasse after several days of talks, according to their Al-Masira channel.

They said they "deeply regret the UN's backing out of conducting maintenance work (in a deal) that was signed last November."

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, reiterated that maintenance work can't be undertaken without an impartial assessment first.

He said the Houthis' comments "seem to confirm that the Houthis aren't ready to provide the assurances we need to deploy the UN mission to the Safer."

"The Safer is a dangerous site, and we need to understand exactly what we're dealing with before undertaking any major works," Dujarric said.

The UN has said an oil spill would destroy Red Sea ecosystems, shut down the fishing industry and close Yemen's lifeline Hodeidah port for six months.

Apart from corrosion to the ageing vessel, essential work to curb explosive gases in its storage tanks has been neglected.



Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)

Twenty countries denounced in a joint statement the escalating tensions in the Middle East caused by what they term Israel’s aggression against Iran and called for diplomacy and dialogue to restore stability in the region.

“There’s an imperative need to halt Israeli hostilities against Iran, which come during a time of increasing tension in the Middle East, and to work towards de-escalation, to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and restoration of calm,” read the statement.

Foreign ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei, Chad, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, and Mauritania rejected finding resolution through military campaigns. Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates also condemned the escalation.

They also highlighted the importance of clearing the region of nuclear and mass destruction weapons and called for refraining from targeting nuclear facilities and protecting maritime navigation in international waters.