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Houthi port authorities seize two Singapore vessels in Red Sea Yemeni port

HOUTHI authorities in control of the Red Sea port of Hodeida have seized two tankers from international traders in a payment dispute, Reuters reports.

Ocean Tankers, the Singapore-based owner of the LR1s, Chao Hu and Hong Ze Hu confirmed that the vessels were being denied permission to leave by the Houthis, who command the capital Sanna, 100 kilometres to the east.

Importing goods into Yemen has become a major challenge since civil war broke out in the country and a Saudi-led coalition imposed a maritime blockade in its fight against the Houthi government that captured the capital two years ago.

Forces of the former government under ex-president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi now controls the southern Port of Aden, but Sanaa is in the hands of a Houthi-led coalition with forces loyal to ex- president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"The vessels have been caught up in a commercial dispute between cargo interests," an Ocean Tankers spokesman said.

Several trading sources told Reuters that the Yemeni authorities had barred the ships from leaving after failing to pay tens of millions of dollars for their cargoes of gasoline and gasoil.

The cargoes are owned by Swiss-based trading houses Gunvor and Litasco, the trading arm of Russian oil company Lukoil, and were imported via CruGas, a London-based trader and regular supplier for Yemen's main oil company.

According to Reuters ship tracking data, the two vessels have been anchored off the coast of Yemen for several months.