The permanent representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Abdullah Al-Muallami, warned the UN Security Council that a "slick of oil" was seen 50 kilometers to the west of the dilapidated tanker "Safer", which was parked in front of Ras Issa port in Al-Hudaydah governorate, western Yemen.
In a letter to the UN Security Council published by the Saudi Press Agency, "SPA" today, Thursday, Al-Muallami revealed that "experts have noticed that a tube connected to the tanker may have separated from the pillars that fix it at the bottom and is now floating above the sea."
He indicated that the tanker SAFER has reached a critical state, and that the situation poses a serious threat to all countries bordering the Red Sea, especially Yemen and the Kingdom, stressing that this dangerous situation must not be left unaddressed.
In his message, the Saudi representative called on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities to ensure the security and safety of the region, and to take immediate action to push the Houthis to allow the United Nations team to access the tanker to take the necessary measures.
The United Nations had warned that SAFER could spill up to 4 times the oil that leaked from the "Exxon Valdez" tanker in 1989 off Alaska.
The Safer tanker, built in Japan during the 1970s, is carrying 1.1 million barrels of crude oil, and has been parked off the Ras Issa oil terminal on the Red Sea since 2015.