UN Moves To Secure Deteriorating Yemeni Oil Tanker, Averting Potential Disaster

A United Nations engineering ship Ndeavor reached the decaying FSO Safer oil tanker off Yemen’s western coast on Tuesday, beginning preliminary work on an emergency rescue plan. The deteriorating tanker, moored in the Red Sea near Hodeidah, hasn’t been maintained since 2015, largely due to Yemen’s ongoing conflict.

While the oil from the dilapidated tanker will not be unloaded immediately, the UN said in a statement that Ndeavor would do the necessary preparation work to enable this to happen safely. The Safer, dubbed a “floating time bomb” by the UN, threatens a catastrophic explosion or oil spill, with the potential for an environmental disaster four times worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident.

The UN Development Program warns that a significant spill could obliterate the fishing industry along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and close the ports of Hodeidah and Saleef, further exacerbating Yemen’s food crisis. The UN announced earlier this year the acquisition of another tanker, the Nautica, to assist in offloading Safer‘s more than a million barrels of crude oil.

The UN continues to seek funding for the rescue plan, which requires an additional $34 million, despite receiving $95 million in commitments in April.