Yemen oil tanker at risk of disaster

UN in fear of missing the boat - 1st August 2022

The United Nations (UN) has kickstarted a crowdfunding drive in the hope of securing funds to extract a million barrels of crude oil from a rusting supertanker, lying off Yemen's Red Sea shoreline. Yemen's devastating civil war, ongoing since 2014, has meant the tanker's been neglected, and the UN's currently sounding the alarm.

The vessel's at serious risk of disintegrating or exploding, leading to an environmental catastrophe. The decrepit supertanker, some 367 metres in length, contains roughly 1.14m barrels of crude oil – four times the amount of oil spilled in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

An immediate and practical response to the precarious situation has stalled owing to a funding deficit. Altogether, the entire salvage operation will come to about $144 million, a sum which covers storing the fossil fuel reserves for the foreseeable future. The UN says that figure's a drop in the ocean compared with the estimated $20 billion necessary to deal with a colossal oil spillage.

Constructed as a supertanker in 1976, the FSO Safer was subsequently adapted into a floating storage and offloading facility for crude oil. It's anchored in close proximity to the Ras Isa oil terminal, now under the control of Yemen's rebel Houthi movement.

International authorities speculate that the fragile vessel could disintegrate, leak or explode at any time. This catastrophic scenario would have a far-reaching impact on Red Sea countries and marine ecosystems, as well as to global supply chains reliant on crossing those waters.

The four month long operation to relocate the oil would face additional challenges if not completed in the narrow window before winter. Gusty winds and strong currents, which typically feature in the Red Sea from September onwards, would further jeopardise the vessel.

Despite having raised a substantial portion of the $80 million needed for the first stage of the operation from its member nations, the UN's responded to the shortfall by inviting contributions from individuals, to boost funds, via crowdfunding. Describing the ship's predicament as a “ticking time bomb”, the organisation waits with bated breath to find out if a global catastrophe can be averted.