The 45-year-old tanker is used as a storage and reloading station. FSO Safer has been out of service since 2015 as Yemen faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The government is fighting the Houthi rebels who control the port of Hodeidah.
“The FSO Safer continues to disintegrate and could break or explode at any time,” said Russell Geekie, adviser to the UN Coordinator in Yemen. According to Geekie, all fixtures on the ship are as good as broken.
“Unstable currents and strong winds from October to December will only increase the risk of disaster,” she added. The United Nations therefore reiterates its urgent appeal for voluntary contributions to a planned rescue operation. 14 million dollars are still needed (the same amount in euros), and 66 million have already been received.
“If we don’t act, the ship will break and there will be disaster,” Jake said. “It’s not a question of if, but when.” An oil spill will have severe consequences for the environment and the tens of thousands of people who live off fishing in the Red Sea. The cleanup will cost $20 billion.
