Sanaa: UN fails to meet its obligations on Safer oil tanker maintenance

The official committee responsible for facilitating UN efforts to execute a comprehensive evaluation of the floating tank SAFER announced that the United Nations failed to expedite the implementation of the agreement.

It reached a dead end after the UN side overthrowing most of the terms of the agreement signed by them and the National Salvation Government.

In the same context, the Supervisory Committee expressed its deep regret at the UN’s retreat from the maintenance that was signed last November.

The committee explained that it held two meetings, last Thursday and Friday, and a third meeting today with the United Nations Office for Project Services, to discuss the work plan presented by the United Nations.

However, the committee was surprised that the plan presented by the UN side excluded most of the agreed urgent maintenance work, and only kept the evaluation work, on the pretext that time and funding are not sufficient to carry out the agreed maintenance work.

It stated that the international side was not satisfied with withdrawing from the maintenance work stipulated in the agreement, but rather many evaluation work was retracted and converted into mere visual checks that are not subject to any recognized standards.

The committee said during the previous meetings, the experts that the United Nations contracted with from Aos Corporation participated and were more clear by saying that the works stipulated in the urgent maintenance agreement and a comprehensive evaluation of the floating tank Safer could not be completed within the month period that was determined by the United Nations, and that it was not contracted with them on this basis.

“The representatives of the United Nations confirmed, during the third meeting on Tuesday, that they want to focus only on the evaluation work, refusing at the same time to provide us with an official memorandum of this, as they acknowledged that they violate the agreement, under the pretext that they are the party authorized to amend and act on the agreement,” it added.

The interventions of experts from the AOS  showed that the United Nations did not contract them for all the work stipulated in the agreement, including the purchase of tools and equipment needed for maintenance.

It indicating that the United Nations has spent funds allocated for maintenance and evaluation in the operational expenditures of its team, over the past months since the signing of the agreement, in November 2020.

The UN’s side deliberately prolonged the discussions in order to exhaust the budget allocated for the implementation of the agreement in operational and consulting expenditures. It excluded the maintenance work and reduced the evaluation work agreed upon in the Urgent Maintenance Agreement and the comprehensive evaluation of the Safer floating tank.

The committee considered the international retreat a setback for the strenuous efforts made during the past months, and deepens fears of an environmental disaster in the Red Sea.

It called on the United Nations to abide by the agreement that was signed by it and the National Salvation Government, holding the United Nations fully responsible for any repercussions of this unfortunate retreat. It also indicated that discussions with the international side are still continuing.

The committee expressed  hopes that it will lead to the return of the United Nations to abide by the signed agreement so that the task is accomplished in the required and effective manner, which prevents the occurrence of any disaster that may affect the environment of the Red Sea.

Source: Agencies.