US plan to designate Ansar Allah as terrorists impedes SAFER maintenance: UN

SANAA, Jan. 16 (YPA) – The United Nations have affirmed its concerns about America’s intention to designate Ansar Allah Movement as a terrorist organization, would impede SAFER maintenance.

The United Nations spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday, “Work would be continued to prepare for the assessment of the status of the SAFER tanker, and that the team is moving in the right direction from the work in general.”

Dujarric considered that the UN plane would impede the leakage of 1.1 million barrels of crude oil from the dilapidated Safer tanker off Yemen’s coasts.

“We should look at the possible impact of the US move on the SAFER mission, he added. There are questions revolving around the potential legal risk to those who will participate in the mission, which we all look forward to avoiding.”

SAFER is a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) oil vessel moored off Yemen’s west coast, approximately 8 kilometers (4.8 nautical miles) South West of the Ras Isa peninsula on the West coast of Yemen, permanently anchored at the same location for more than 30 years without any dry-docking or shipyard repairs.

The coastline of Yemen’s Red Sea and of its neighboring countries is at risk of an environmental disaster that could happen any day, with substantial humanitarian and economic impacts.

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