Yemeni rebels say 3 oil tankers arrived in Hudaydah

SANAA (AA) – Three oil tankers have arrived in the rebel-held Al-Hudaydah port in western Yemen, the Houthi rebels said on Saturday.

In a tweet, Yahya Sharaf al-Din, deputy chief of the Red Sea Ports Corporation, said the tanker Syosset loaded with 29,134 tons of gasoline had arrived at the port.

The Sea Heart tanker, which carries 27,000 tons of diesel, and Hafiz tanker loaded with 26,953 tons of diesel, also docked at the port, he said.

On Thursday, the Yemeni government agreed to allow the entry of four fuel vessels to the rebel-held port upon a request from UN special envoy Martin Griffiths.

Last month, the Houthi-run oil company accused the Saudi-led coalition of seizing 15 fuel vessels carrying nearly 420,000 tons of fuel and fuel derivatives.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara