General Information | Information for Shipping Companies
The current conflict in Yemen has resulted in a widespread humanitarian crisis , and has left 80 per cent of the population (24.4 million people) in need of some form of assistance. In addition, according to the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, over 20 million people need help in security food and a staggering 14 million are in acute humanitarian need.
In order to facilitate commercial cargo flows into the country, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) operationalized the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM). The mechanism oversees the monitoring and inspection services of commercial and bilateral assistance cargo destined for Yemeni Red Sea ports.
The mechanism was operationalized on 05 May 2016, at the request of the Government of Yemen and on behalf of the UN and the concerned Member States. UNVIM is located in Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti.
Complete clearance requests should be submitted no later than five (05) days prior to the vessel’s arrival in the outer limits of these ports and preferably before the departure of the vessel from its port of loading, depending on the availability of the vessel’s documents. Any clearance request received after this period will incur delays in the clearance process.
Once the required documents are reviewed, UNVIM will inform the requester of its decision:
a. Provided no inspection of the cargo or containers on board the vessel is required, UNVIM will grant the vessel clearance.
b. Provided there are any suspicions of the vessel’s movements; crew; documents; or prohibited cargo under UNSCR 2216 (2015), UNVIM will conduct a primary inspection of the vessel in territorial or international waters accordingly. Secondary inspections may also be conducted if suspicions persist after the primary inspection.