YPC in Sanaa launches humanitarian distress call, as fuel stocks run out

The Yemeni Petroleum Company (YPC) in Sanaa launched Thursday a distress call due to running out of fuel stocks.

The company spokesman, Essam Al-Mutawakel, confirmed that the Saudi-led coalition countries’ detention of fuel ships has exacerbated the oil derivatives crisis in all Yemeni provinces.

Al-Mutawakel noted that the rest of the stock fuel quantities are sold at the company’s stations at the official price, explaining that the cars’ queue now extends 3.5 kilometers in front of each station.

The company demanded the entry of an urgent ship, but it was held in Djibouti on the pretext that one of the ship’s crew had contracted Coronavirus, before it was allowed to enter after being granted a UN permit, the spokesman explained.

He stated that the ship was supposed to reach Hodeidah Wednesday evening, but it was pirated by the coalition navy.

Al-Mutawakel said that there was a mechanism for buying oil derivatives from the provinces under the control of the coalition mercenaries and selling them at an acceptable price, but the fact is that they are sold on the black market.

“We tried to negotiate for the introduction of oil derivatives to the free areas, on the condition of examination and the price is fair, but they refused,” the spokesman said.

Al-Mutawakel added that “if the oil company is the crisis, then who is the cause of the crisis in the occupied areas (controlled by the coalition)”, pointing out that the company has invited activists and journalists to inspect and reveal the fact that the entry of fuel is forbidden.

He affirmed that the oil company is not an enforcement body, but rather this is the task of the Ministry of Interior and that if oil derivatives conforming to specifications are seized, they will be sold to citizens at the official price.

YPA