The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen, Hussein Al-Ezzi, has confirmed on Thursday the imminent arrival of an alternative ship for the floating crude oil tanker Safer.
In a tweet on, Al-Ezzi said that the Sana’a team supervising the Safer reservoir had held a constructive meeting with the UN team, and reviewed the most recent developments regarding an alternative ship, which is due to arrive within the next two months.
أجرى فريقنا الوطني المشرف على خزان صافر لقاء بناء مع الفريق الأممي وتم الإطلاع على آخر المستجدات ذات الصلة بالسفينةالبديلة والتي صار بمقدورنا أن نتوقع وصولها خلال الشهرين القادمين إن شاءالله
إنني أشكر كل المانحين وأحيي فريقناالوطني كما أحيي جهود الرائع/ديفيد غريزلي وفريقه المحترم— حسين العزي (@hussinalezzi5) March 16, 2023
Al-Ezzi thanked all donors and praised the national team as well as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Yemen, David Gersley for their efforts in this area.
The Safer oil storage unit, estimated to be carrying around 1.14 million barrels worth of petroleum, has been moored in the Red Sea near the city of Hodeidah with little to no maintenance work being done since the start of the Saudi invasion in 2015. While under control of the National Salvation Government of Yemen, the war and blockade of the country has made it nearly impossible for Sana’a to ensure any but the absolute bare minimum upkeep, causing a major security risk to the ship and its surroundings.