YPC: Saudi-led Aggression Continues to Detain 14 Oil Tankers

Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) asserted that the coalition of aggression continued to detain 14 oil ships with a total tonnage of 368,620 tons of petroleum products arbitrarily and for varying periods.

The company said in a statement that the maximum limit of currently detained ships reaches 45 days, after the arrival of the “Transocean” ship which carries a quantity of 5,860 tons of diesel.

It noted that the period of arbitrary detention in previous cases reached nearly five months, stressing that this was a clear violation of the provisions of the International Convention on Human Rights and the rules of international humanitarian law and all applicable laws and customs.

The YPC noted that the aggression continues, through maritime piracy, to block the arrival of ships, oil derivatives, domestic gas, food, medicine and other urgent needs to the port of Hodeidah.

It  pointed out that this fact contradicts what was stated in the briefings of the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, before the Security Council, on January 16, 2020, and on October 22, 2019, during which he claimed that the fuel ships entered Hodeidah port without any obstacles.

The YPC went on to say that the seizure of the oil vessels comes despite the fact that the tankers had earlier acquired necessary permits from the United Nations, and were sailing towards the Red Sea port of Hudaydah.

It stressed that the arbitrary detention carried out by the coalition of aggression has always ignored the essence and goals of the Stockholm Agreement, which stressed in its entirety the need to facilitate access to basic materials and humanitarian assistance to the port of Hodeidah, to meet the needs and aspirations of the Yemeni people.