Yemeni Coastguard Seizes Saudi Ship, Two Others in Yemen’s Regional Waters – Statement

Translated by Staff

Yemen’s Coastguard issued a statement that explained the incident of detaining three ships off the Red Sea inside the country’s regional waters.

The statement read the following:

- Three ships were seized, one is Saudi ‘Rabegh 3” 3 miles away of the Yemeni ‘Uqban Island as they entered Yemen’s regional waters without an earlier notice

- The crews of the seized ships didn’t respond to the patrol after they were called via the international channel 16

- The non-response from the crews of the seized ships is a clear challenge to all international maritime laws and a violation of Yemeni sovereignty

- The seized ships were harbored at the Salif port, and legal measures were taken along with contacting the concerned parties

- The coastguards stress keenness on the safety of regional waters, as well as the necessity to abide by all followed regulations and respect Yemen’s sovereignty

- We won’t save any effort to take the measures related to protecting Yemeni waters

Earlier, before publishing the statement, a top official of the Yemeni Ansarullah revolutionary movement said that a ‘suspected vessel’ was seized off the western coast of the impoverished country in the Red Sea.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the President of Yemen’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee said: “Yemeni coast guards… are checking to see whether (the vessel) belongs to the countries of aggression or to South Korea, in which case it will be released after completing legal procedures. The crews are being well treated.”