News - Yemen: Transport Minister, Abdulwahab Al-Durra, stressed the importance of the UN playing its role in solving the problem of the Safer reservoir, according to the previously concluded agreement in this regard.

The Minister of Transport indicated during his meeting, Monday, with the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, William Grisley, that the UN should feel responsible for the Safer tank issue and the speed of maintenance of the ship, as it threatens the environment in the Red Sea.

He explained that the humanitarian truce was satisfied by Yemeni society despite the obstruction of US-Saudi and its repudiation of implementing its terms, especially with regard to commercial flights. He renewed his demand for the UN to operate daily flights from Sana'a to Amman and Cairo and return due to the high turnout of travelers, especially patients, pointing out that no flight has been operated from Sana'a to Cairo and back to this day despite the promises of the UN envoy's office.

He indicated that Sana'a International Airport proved its technical and professional operational readiness when it received the two flights from Amman to Sana'a in accordance with international requirements.

He called on the UN to pressure the US-Saudi aggression to abide by the Stockholm Agreement and to allow commercial cargo container ships to enter and unload at the port of Hodeidah.

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen pointed out the importance of working to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and stop the war so that peace prevails in Yemen.

He indicated that the UN is showing great interest in the Safer reservoir, noting that work on this issue is being carried out with the aim of preventing any disaster threatening the Red Sea.

Earlier, The Supervisory Committee for the Execution of the Urgent Maintenance Agreement and the Comprehensive Evaluation of the Floating Oil Tank Safer, has renewed its strong dissatisfaction with the continued disregard by the United Nations of its obligations towards the reservoir. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) continued to disavow the implementation of the urgent maintenance agreement and the comprehensive evaluation of the floating tank Safer, which was signed in November 2020.

In a statement, the committee warned of the repercussions of the deterioration of the situation of the Safer Reservoir after nearly seven years without any maintenance of the reservoir, which makes the level of an environmental disaster in the Red Sea more significant than ever, which will affect Yemen and neighboring countries for many years. 

The UNOPS submitted its implementation plan in violation of the agreement last May; completely ignoring the agreement and its obligations towards the Safer reservoir, despite knowing that the status of the reservoir could no longer tolerate further delays.

While the committee called for the immediate implementation of the agreement, it holds the UNOPS fully responsible for any leak or explosion of the reservoir, and the resulting unprecedented environmental disaster in the Red Sea. "The responsibility to squander the funds allocated to implement the agreement, which the United Nations Office for Project Services refuses to disclose and its fate, despite the multiple demands directed at it to work on the principle of transparency before public opinion."

UN spent more than 3 and a half million dollars out of the maintenance budget of more than 9 million dollars and no work was carried out.