A container vessel loaded with general commercial items docked at the port of Hodeidah. This is the first time since 2016 and the docking happened on Saturday, reports gCaptain.
This came through as parties in the eight-year war in Yemen are in discussions to reinstate an already expired truce deal that is UN-mediated.
Military coalition
The conflict reportedly pits a military coalition spearheaded by Saudi Arabia against the Iran-aligned Houthi team, which has not only divided Yemen but also fueled a major humanitarian crisis, which eventually resulted in 80% of the total 30 million population seeking help.
Goods reaching Hodeidah need to be vetted by a UN establishment to prevent arms shipments from getting into Yemen. For over seven years now, UNVIM has been approving ships that only carry specific goods such as foodstuffs, cooking oil, and fuel.
An official associated with the internationally recognized Yemeni government informed Reuters that permitting access to commercial vessels was one of the trust-building steps toward supporting Saudi-Houthi discussions for reinstating the truce that expired in October 2022.
Clearance for particular shipments
Port officials said that the SHEBELLE, which per ship tracking data is an Ethiopian-flagged general cargo vessel, was given clearance by the UN inspection establishment, the Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (better known as UNVIM).
The mechanism earlier only gave clearance for particular shipments. However, currently, UNVIM is giving clearances for all sorts of shipments to the Hodeidah port, explained Abu-Bakr bin Ishaq, who heads Houthi-facilitated Red Sea Ports Corporation.
Further, he added that the increased flow of goods within the western port would lower transportation costs, given most are entering via the south-based, government-held Aden port.
Did you subscribe to our newsletter?
It’s free! Click here to subscribe!
Source: gCaptain
