The UN said Yemen's Houthi rebels are delaying a mission to repair an abandoned, decaying tanker, which could spill more than a million barrels of oil into the Red Sea off the country's coast.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the Iran-backed Houthis had not provided written security guarantees for repair teams, delaying work scheduled to take place this week and raising costs by “hundreds of thousands of dollars”.
The group asked the UN to pause planning for the mission as officials consider a review of their approval for the repairs, which was granted late last year, Mr Dujarric said on Tuesday.
“In light of these challenges, the timeline of the mission remains uncertain and dependent on the continued facilitation of all stakeholders involved.
"We hope to receive a renewed commitment from the Houthi authorities to resolve this urgent matter as soon as possible. Any other outcome would be extremely disappointing."
He said the UN had already spent $3.35 million hiring engineers and leasing ships and gear to repair the FSO Safer tanker, which is moored off the Ras Issa oil terminal, 60 kilometres north of the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah.
The UN said that the 45-year-old vessel, stranded since 2015, could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster near Alaska, but access to it has been complicated by the Houthis.
The rebels previously allowed UN teams to board the vessel only to later change their minds.
Divers managed to plug a leak in the ship’s engine room last May but experts say the tanker could fall apart at any minute.
"The UN remains committed to doing everything possible to address the grave humanitarian and environmental threat posed by the Safer tanker, which is carrying 1.1 million barrels of oil and is at risk of rupture," Mr Dujarric said.
UN work in Yemen is further complicated by a US decision in the final days of the Trump administration, which classified the Houthis as terrorists.
That effectively forced some humanitarian groups and importers to stop work there for fear of US sanctions, the UN said.
The Biden administration is reviewing that classification.
Yemen has been riven by conflict since the Houthis drove the government from the capital Sanaa in 2014.
A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition in 2015 intervened in a bid to restore the government.
The five pillars of Islam
RESULTS
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more from Janine di Giovanni
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The%20specs
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
THREE
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The biog
Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police
Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
Role Model: Father
She believes that there is a solution to every problem
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now