اضغط هنا لقراءة الخبر بالعربية
The Yemen`s internationally-recognized government on Monday called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to exert more pressure to force the Houthis (Ansar Allah) to allow a UN technical team to assess and maintain the Safir oil reservoir off the coast of Hodeidah in the west of the country before the disaster.
In a letter to the UN Secretary General, the Yemeni Foreign Ministry stressed the need to avoid a potential environmental disaster due to the deterioration and deterioration of the state of the Safir oil tank due to the Houthis' continued refusal to allow a UN technical team to access the tank and carry out the necessary assessment and maintenance.
According to the Aden-based Yemeni News Agency (Saba) the letter pointed to the potential environmental repercussions of the deterioration of the reservoir, according to a scientific and technical study prepared by the General Authority for Environmental Protection, which indicates that the reservoir has not undergone any maintenance since 2015.
The agency explained: "This could precipitate the erosion of the reservoir, threatening an oil spill or accumulation of highly flammable gases that could lead to the explosion of the reservoir as a result of the formation of hydrocarbon gases emitted from crude oil in the reservoir, threatening a serious environmental disaster."
The study, which was accompanied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the letter, said that the potential damage will extend Yemen to the countries bordering the Red Sea and affect the marine environment and international navigation.
Among the damages were the destruction of nature reserves in the islands on the Red Sea, including the Yemeni island of Kamran, the threat to fish, marine life, coral reefs and seabirds, and damage to desalination projects from the Red Sea.
The floating oil tank consists of one million and 174,000 barrels of crude oil, a ship owned by the Yemeni state and currently controlled by the Houthis. Before the war in Yemen, the vessel received the production of five oil companies and through which exports are exported and the supply of crude oil refineries to Aden refineries.
