Tanker Nerida intercepted in Yemen after claims of unauthorized unloading
In Yemen, the coast guard intercepted the oil tanker Nerida after it unloaded cargo at the Houthi-controlled port of Ras Isa in Al Hudaydah province. As Anadolu Agency reports, the vessel, flying the flag of the Comoros, was intercepted in the Gulf of Aden and escorted to the port of Aden.
Statement on procedural violations
A source at Yemen’s state television broadcaster in the Coast Guard Authority said that the tanker unloaded its cargo without prior authorization from the Yemeni government and without completing the established procedures of the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM).
UNVIM is based in Djibouti and inspects goods and cargoes bound for Houthi-controlled ports for compliance with the international arms embargo. The mechanism was established in December 2015 at the request of the Yemeni government to monitor vessels bound for ports outside government control for compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216. It is managed by the UN Office for Project Services.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Gunfire during the interception
According to the television source, Nerida switched off its automatic identification system, AIS, during part of its route. The vessel’s signal briefly appeared south of Al Hudaydah after leaving the port of Ras Isa, when the tanker was heading toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
A coast guard patrol intercepted the vessel in the Gulf of Aden after it left areas controlled by the Houthis. According to state television, the tanker initially failed to comply with an order to stop, and armed people on board opened fire on the patrol boat. The vessel later complied with the order and was escorted to Aden. No deaths or injuries were reported, and the Houthis did not immediately comment on the incident.
