UNSC Calls On Houthis To Urgently Provide Safe Access To Oil Tanker On Brink Of Explosion

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2021) The UN Security Council issued a statement calling on the Houthi rebel movement to urgently facilitate unconditional and safe access for a United Nations technical mission to the decaying oil tanker off the coast of Yemen.

"The members of the Security Council... stressed the need to urgently resolve outstanding issues and called on the Houthis to facilitate unconditional and safe access for UN experts to conduct the comprehensive and impartial assessment and initial repair mission without further delay," the statement said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the UN Security Council addressed in open and closed consultations the situation with the oil tanker Safer that has been abandoned in the Red Sea for more than six years while loaded with 1.1 million barrels of oil and remains in urgent need of repairs.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Director of Operations and Advocacy Reena Ghelani told the Security Council the tanker's physical structure has been degrading and underlying systems had ceased to work.

Ghelani also said there is a "good chance" flammable gases are building up in some places of the vessel.

However, the Houthis have showed reluctance to provide specific assurances to the United Nations for the world body to send the repair mission on the vessel.

"The main sticking point seems to be what, exactly, the UN mission will do and - more specifically - why the United Nations cannot agree more in terms of repairs," Ghelani said.

"But because the UN has never been allowed to visit the site, we do not know exactly what the conditions are like onboard," Ghelani added.