IANS
United Nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned about the condition of the Safer oil tanker moored off the western coast of Yemen and has asked for access to the vessel for its assessment, his spokesman said.
The UN chief urges the removal of any obstacles to the efforts needed to mitigate the dangers posed by the tanker without delay, Xinhua news agency quoted Stephane Dujarric as saying on Friday in a statement.
Guterres specifically calls for granting independent technical experts unconditional access to the tanker to assess its condition and conduct any possible initial repairs. This technical assessment will provide crucial scientific evidence for next steps to be taken in order to avert catastrophe, said the statement.
The aging tanker has had almost no maintenance since 2015 and risks causing a major oil spill, explosion or fire that would have catastrophic environmental and humanitarian consequences for Yemen and the region.
The Houthi rebels, who control the territory where Safer is moored, first indicated on July 5 that they would allow an inspection and emergency repair team to board the floating oil storage and offloading vessel.
