Yemen’s Houthis grant UN inspectors access to aging oil tanker

Experts say the FSO Safer, a dilapidated vessel that contains more than a million barrels of light crude oil, is at risk of rupturing and spilling more oil than the Exxon Valdez.
TOPSHOT - A picture taken on May 14, 2019, shows a general view of the Hodeida port in the Yemeni port city, around 230 kilometres west of the capital Sanaa. - Yemen's Huthi rebels have handed over security of key Red Sea ports to the "coastguard" but much work remains to remove military equipment, the UN said. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)
A picture taken on May 14, 2019, shows a general view of the Hodeidah port in Yemen, west of the capital Sanaa. - AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

The Houthi rebels have given the United Nations permission to inspect a dilapidated oil tanker moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast that experts warn is a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe waiting to happen. 

On Tuesday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the Houthi authorities had sent a letter “indicating their approval for the UN proposal for the planned expert mission to the tanker.”  

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more