Yemeni Coast Guard intercepts oil tanker after ‘unauthorized’ delivery to Houthi-held port

Aziz Ahmadi and Rania Abushamala

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, government media reported.

The Comoros-flagged tanker Nerida unloaded the cargo without prior approval from the Yemeni government or undergoing established procedures through the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM), Yemen’s state-run television channel quoted an unnamed Coast Guard Authority source as saying.

Based in Djibouti, UNVIM inspects goods and cargo bound for Houthi-controlled ports to ensure compliance with an international arms embargo.

The source said the tanker disabled its Automatic Identification System (AIS) during parts of its voyage before its signal briefly reappeared south of Al-Hudaydah after it departed Ras Isa port and headed 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, and there was no immediate comment from the Houthi group.

UNVIM was established in December 2015 at the Yemeni government’s request to ensure that vessels sailing to ports outside its control comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

It is managed by the UN Office for Project Services.

The incident comes amid escalating clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis in recent weeks.

Government forces said Saturday that they had made battlefield advances on fronts in Taiz and Al-Hudaydah governorates while the army captured dozens of Houthi fighters.