UK, Netherlands in joint effort to stop oil spill from abandoned vessel off Yemen coast

The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are due to co-host a pledging event tomorrow to fully fund the UN salvage of the FSO Safer oil tanker off the coast of Yemens.

The British government spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa, Rosie Dyas, said the international community has so far raised $95 million, noting that an additional $29 million is required so that the United Nations can remove the oil from the vessel’s reservoir.

The 45-year-old FSO Safer, carrying 1.1 million barrels of oil, is moored six miles off the coast of the Houthi-held Yemeni city of Hudaydah.

An explosion or leakage from the vessel may cause one of the most dangerous oil spill disasters in history, according to a study conducted by Greenpeace.

READ: Decaying oil tanker off Yemen could be offloaded by September if remaining $34m is raised

The tanker has not undergone any maintenance since 2015, which led to the erosion of its chassis leaving it in a poor condition.

In March, the UN announced the purchase of a ship to transport crude oil from the Safer reservoir.

The FSO Safer, owned by the state-run Safer for Oil Production and Exploration Operations, was used to store and export oil coming from fields adjacent to the Ma’rib province.