Yemen: Arrival of WFP Vessel to Aden a Major Breakthrough

On 21 July 2015, a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) ship arrived at the Yemeni port of Aden - the first WFP-chartered vessel to berth at the port since conflict erupted in Yemen in March. The MV Han Zhi arrived with 3,000 metric tons of food – enough to feed 180,000 people for one month – at Aden’s oil port of Al-Buraiqa.

Although it had arrived off Aden on 26 June, it was forced to wait over three weeks for a safe window to berth.

WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Muhannad Hadi, hailed its arrival as a major breakthrough for not only WFP, but for the humanitarian community as well.

"While we have been able to reach several southern areas by land, docking at the port of Aden allows us to accelerate our response to meet urgent needs in southern Yemen,” said Muhannad. “In the coming days we hope to reach more people, not only in Aden but throughout Yemen.”