Yemen probes marine pollution incident off Aden port

The Yemeni government said Saturday that it has launched an investigation into a marine pollution incident off the coast of the strategic port of Aden, following reports that a vessel dumped oil into the country's territorial waters.

Transport Minister Mohsen al-Amri said in a statement on the US social media company X that he ordered the “immediate deployment of a specialized investigation committee” to inspect the pollution incident in the anchorage area outside the Aden port.

The minister said authorities received reports indicating that a ship had discharged quantities of oil “into Yemeni territorial waters,” without identifying the vessel or its owner.

Operational monitoring by the port control tower and coast guard forces prompted the General Authority for Maritime Affairs to conduct an urgent field assessment to determine the scale and source of the pollution and document the incident, according to the statement.

“If the suspected vessel’s involvement is confirmed, coast guard forces have been instructed to detain the ship immediately and prevent it from leaving, while legal measures would be taken against those responsible,” al-Amri said.

Port of Aden is one of Yemen’s most important ports under the control of the internationally recognized government, though its activity has significantly declined due to the country’s prolonged conflict.

Since April 2022, Yemen has witnessed a relative lull in fighting between government forces and the Houthis, which has controlled Sanaa since September 2014, amid ongoing UN-led peace efforts.

The war has devastated infrastructure and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul