A/HRC/39/43 Naval restrictions 5. Shortly after the coalition engaged in Yemen, the Government of Yemen closed the country’s territorial waters and empowered the coalition to enforce entrance restrictions. Ships seeking entry to Yemen required authorization and were subject to coalition inspection. The restrictions immediately caused delays and prevented commercial and humanitarian goods from entering Yemen. Delays and uncertainties for shipping companies, along with increased insurance costs and operational risks in a conflict zone, reduced shipments to Yemen. By June 2015, only 15 per cent of pre-crisis imports were entering Yemen.9 6. These restrictions have continued even following the establishment of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism in Yemen (UNVIM). In November 2017, the coalition increased the restrictions, enforcing a total blockade on the country. While the total blockade was gradually lifted, coalition restrictions and inspections remain in place as of 30 June 2018. Impact 7. Devastated by years of conflict, Yemen is only more reliant on imports now. The need cannot be met by humanitarian aid alone. Meanwhile, the capacity of Hudaydah port, where the majority of imports historically arrived and more than half of food milling and storage capacity is located, has been deleteriously affected by coalition airstrikes. Even so, during the conflict the port has remained critically important, with some 70 per cent of all imports entering the country through Hudaydah. 10 8. Total imports of staple foods, though they declined at various periods during the conflict, have overall been sufficient to meet most of Yemen’s needs, at least prior to the November 2017 blockade. The problem has been the price of food rather than its availability. 9. Prices have risen due to the increased costs of getting food to market. While this is in part due to prevailing insecurity, damaged infrastructure and additional taxation within Yemen, nearly all involved in business attribute the primary cause of price increases to the coalition’s restrictions on naval imports. Every day that vessels are delayed, shippers incur demurrage fees, up to tens of thousands of dollars per day. The high costs of delays, as well as the unpredictability of delays and clearance, have led to inflated food prices. 10. Meanwhile, most Yemenis have suffered a loss of income due to the conflict, including the non-payment of salaries by the Central Bank of Yemen. The effects of the price increases coupled with an erosion of purchasing power have therefore been catastrophic on the population. 11. While supply became insufficient and the extreme unpredictability of the restrictions drove prices even higher, fewer people were able to afford food and more people went hungry. Humanitarian aid could not fill the gap. 12. While food requirements were generally being met prior to the November 2017 blockade, fuel imports have generally been insufficient throughout the conflict. This was exacerbated in June 2017 when the Government closed Ras Isa port, which primarily accommodated fuel. 13. The legacy of the November 2017 blockade and the ongoing restrictions imposed on vessels to the Red Sea ports have resulted in a decrease in requests to enter. From March through June 2018, requests had fallen 50–66 per cent compared to before the November 2017 blockade. 9 10 30 www.unocha.org/sites/unocha/files/dms/Documents/25%20June%202015% 20USG%20Yemen.pdf. https://logcluster.org/sites/default/files/logistics_cluster_yemen_ hodeidahcontingencyplan_170322_0.pdf.