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Yemeni Forces Seize Tanker After Unauthorized Houthi Port Unload
(MENAFN) Yemeni Coast Guard forces intercepted an oil tanker Sunday after it unloaded an "unauthorized" cargo at the Houthi-held Ras Isa port in Al-Hudaydah governorate, according to government media.
The Comoros-flagged tanker Nerida offloaded its cargo without prior approval from the Yemeni government and without going through established procedures under the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM), an unnamed Coast Guard Authority source told Yemen's state-run television channel.
UNVIM, based in Djibouti, is tasked with inspecting goods and cargo bound for Houthi-controlled ports to ensure compliance with an international arms embargo.
According to the source, the tanker switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) for portions of its voyage. Its signal briefly resurfaced south of Al-Hudaydah after the vessel left Ras Isa port and set course toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
"After the vessel left areas under the militia's control, a government Coast Guard patrol intercepted it in the Gulf of Aden," the channel reported.
"The vessel initially failed to comply with orders to stop, and armed men aboard opened fire on the patrol boat before it later responded to the call and was escorted to the port of Aden," it added.
No casualties were reported in the incident, and the Houthi group offered no immediate comment.
UNVIM was established in December 2015 at the request of the Yemeni government to ensure vessels sailing to ports outside government control comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2216. It is managed by the UN Office for Project Services.
The interception comes against a backdrop of intensifying clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis in recent weeks. Government forces reported Saturday that they had gained ground on battlefronts in Taiz and Al-Hudaydah governorates, with the army capturing dozens of Houthi fighters.
The Comoros-flagged tanker Nerida offloaded its cargo without prior approval from the Yemeni government and without going through established procedures under the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM), an unnamed Coast Guard Authority source told Yemen's state-run television channel.
UNVIM, based in Djibouti, is tasked with inspecting goods and cargo bound for Houthi-controlled ports to ensure compliance with an international arms embargo.
According to the source, the tanker switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) for portions of its voyage. Its signal briefly resurfaced south of Al-Hudaydah after the vessel left Ras Isa port and set course toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
"After the vessel left areas under the militia's control, a government Coast Guard patrol intercepted it in the Gulf of Aden," the channel reported.
"The vessel initially failed to comply with orders to stop, and armed men aboard opened fire on the patrol boat before it later responded to the call and was escorted to the port of Aden," it added.
No casualties were reported in the incident, and the Houthi group offered no immediate comment.
UNVIM was established in December 2015 at the request of the Yemeni government to ensure vessels sailing to ports outside government control comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2216. It is managed by the UN Office for Project Services.
The interception comes against a backdrop of intensifying clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis in recent weeks. Government forces reported Saturday that they had gained ground on battlefronts in Taiz and Al-Hudaydah governorates, with the army capturing dozens of Houthi fighters.
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