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Yemeni Coast Guard forces intercepted an oil tanker after it discharged "unauthorized" cargo at the Houthi-controlled Port of Ras Isa in the Al-Hudayda governorate, government media reported.
The Comoros-flagged vessel Nerida unloaded without prior approval from the Yemeni government or compliance with procedures established through the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM), Yemen's state television quoted an unidentified source from the Coast Guard Authority.
Based in Djibouti, UNVIM inspects goods and cargo destined for Houthi-controlled ports to ensure compliance with the international arms embargo.
The source indicated that the tanker deactivated its Automatic Identification System (AIS) during parts of its voyage, before its signal briefly reappeared south of Al-Hudayda after departing from the Ras Isa port facility and heading towards the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
"Once the vessel left the areas under militia control, a government Coast Guard patrol intercepted it in the Gulf of Aden," the state channel reported.
"The vessel initially failed to comply with orders to stop, and armed men on board opened fire on the patrol, before later responding to the call and being escorted to the port of Aden," it added.
UNVIM was established in December 2015 at the request of the Yemeni government to ensure that vessels sailing to ports outside its control comply with United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 2216.
The mechanism is administered by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
The incident comes amid escalating clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis in recent weeks.
Government forces reported on Saturday that they had made battlefield gains on the Taiz and Al-Hudayda governorate fronts, while the army captured dozens of Houthi fighters.
