Yemen Monitor/Riyadh/Special:
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre signed a joint cooperation agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to secure the needs of the Ministry of Water and Environment for equipment and devices to contain fuel and fertilizer leaks from the sinking of the “Rubymar” ship in the Red Sea, which was sunk by the Houthis last year.
The Yemeni News Agency (Saba) reported that 126,020 individuals will benefit from the project.
In March, the Yemeni government submitted its plan to the United Nations and discussed with it the risks of the disaster of the sinking ship carrying 21,000 tons of chemical fertilizers 25 nautical miles from the port of Mocha in the Red Sea. It confirmed to them that the implementation of this plan requires urgent material, technical, and logistical support to avoid the potential catastrophic effects of the ship’s sinking on the Red Sea environment and all countries bordering the Red Sea.
Under the agreement, signed by the Assistant General Supervisor of the Center for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, and the Under-Secretary-General and Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Haoliang Xu, the national capacity to deploy a stockpile of oil spill response equipment and release hazardous and harmful materials will be developed, along with associated personal protective equipment.
Also under the agreement, specialized oil spill response equipment will be purchased to protect and clean environmentally sensitive areas, a remotely operated underwater vehicle capable of diving to a depth of 200 meters will be purchased, an international and a local expert will be provided to provide continuous technical support within Yemen for one year, and organized inspection operations of the “Rubymar” ship’s hull will be enabled.
The “Rubymar” ship was attacked by the Houthis in February 2024, leading to its sinking with a large cargo of ammonia, oils, and hazardous materials on board.
