UN launches crowdfunding campaign to prevent Yemen tanker oil spill
Environmentalists say the Safer oil tanker is guaranteed to spill without intervention and could cost $20bn to clear up
A close-up view of the FSO Safer oil tanker off the port of Ras Isa, Yemen, on 19 June 2020 (Maxar Technologies via AFP)
By MEE staff
Published date: 13 June 2022
The United Nations has launched a crowd-funding campaign for an operation intended to prevent an ageing Yemeni oil tanker from unleashing a potentially catastrophic spill in the Red Sea, a senior official said Monday.
The UN has secured some $60m out of $80m needed to initially offload the Safer tanker which holds 1.1 million barrels of oil - four times as much oil that was spilt during the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in the United States.
"We hope to raise $5m by the end of June," David Gressly, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for the war-hit country, told an online press briefing, adding it was an "ambitious" target.
"Today I launched a @UN crowdfunding campaign because we urgently need funds to start the emergency operation before it is too late," he said in a subsequent Twitter post.
The decaying 45-year-old oil tanker, FSO Safer, long used as a floating storage platform and now abandoned off the rebel-held Yemeni port of Hodeidah, has not been serviced since Yemen was plunged into civil war more than seven years ago.
It is in "imminent" danger of breaking up, the UN warned last month.
An operation to transfer its 1.1 million barrels of oil to a different vessel could begin next month, according to a website for the crowd-funding campaign, which will begin accepting donations Tuesday.
Environmentalists warn the cost of the salvage operation is a pittance compared to the estimated $20bn it would cost to clean up a spill.
Environmentalists warn the cost of the salvage operation is a pittance compared to the estimated $20bn it would cost to clean up a spill.
Yemen: Decaying oil tanker in Red Sea threatens millions
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The UN has said an oil spill could destroy ecosystems, shut down the fishing industry and close the lifeline, Hodeida port, for six months.
It has said the operation needs to be completed by the end of September to avoid "turbulent winds" that pick up later in the year.
On Sunday, neighbouring Saudi Arabia said it would contribute $10m.
The Safer has been stranded off Ras Issa oil terminal without maintenance since 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen against the Houthi movement that ousted the internationally recognised government from the capital, Sanaa.
A truce between the rebels and the Saudi-led coalition has been in place since 2 April, coinciding with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Five days after it took effect, Yemen's Riyadh-based president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, handed his powers to a Saudi-backed leadership council tasked with holding peace talks with the rebels.
The UN has said an oil spill could destroy ecosystems, shut down the fishing industry and close the lifeline, Hodeida port, for six months.
It has said the operation needs to be completed by the end of September to avoid "turbulent winds" that pick up later in the year.
On Sunday, neighbouring Saudi Arabia said it would contribute $10m.
The Safer has been stranded off Ras Issa oil terminal without maintenance since 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen against the Houthi movement that ousted the internationally recognised government from the capital, Sanaa.
A truce between the rebels and the Saudi-led coalition has been in place since 2 April, coinciding with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Five days after it took effect, Yemen's Riyadh-based president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, handed his powers to a Saudi-backed leadership council tasked with holding peace talks with the rebels.
US Government Watchdog Finds Flawed Weapons Monitoring in Yemen
Oversight Needed to Protect Yemeni Civilians, Hold Saudi Arabia and UAE Accountable
Akshaya Kumar
Director of Crisis Advocacy
Oversight Needed to Protect Yemeni Civilians, Hold Saudi Arabia and UAE Accountable
Akshaya Kumar
Director of Crisis Advocacy
@AkshayaSays
Click to expand Image
A delegation from Saudi Arabia examines models of military equipment at the Dubai Airshow 2021, in the UAE on November 14, 2021. © 2021 Andrea DiCenzo/Getty Images
A new internal report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) – the congressional watchdog – found serious gaps in US government oversight of how arms sold to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are being used. These findings show that Congress needs to get more involved in these weapons sales.
Human Rights Watch and others have warned for years that US-made weapons sold to Saudi Arabia and the UAE may be being used to commit war crimes in Yemen and that US officials could be implicated. We called for a suspension of these sales. Successive administrations argued they were tracking civilian casualties in Yemen and helping the coalition mitigate them through better targeting.
But the GAO report, obtained by Human Rights Watch, indicates that they’re likely not doing enough. Despite credible reports from the United Nations and civil society monitors detailing laws-of-war violations and likely war crimes, neither the State nor Defense Departments could, according to the report, “provide evidence” that they had “investigated any incidents of potential unauthorized use of equipment transferred to Saudi Arabia or UAE.”
That’s why congressional oversight remains essential. In fact, what we know from the GAO report comes largely because of Congress’ reporting requirements.
What more should Congress do?
First, press the GAO to publish the full report. US officials are reportedly trying to redact portions before it’s published, which could obscure important findings.
Second, urge the State Department to implement the report’s recommendations including the call for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs to develop “specific guidance for investigating any indications that U.S.-origin defense articles have been used in Yemen by Saudi Arabia or UAE” in ways that violate international law.
Third, pass the Protection of Civilians in Military Operations Act, introduced in May. Among other things, the legislation would establish a hub within the Pentagon for supporting the US government on the issue of civilian harm.
The revelations in the GAO report come as President Joe Biden plans to travel to Saudi Arabia. On the campaign trail, Biden promised not to check US “values at the door to sell arms or buy oil.” In office, he has lobbied Congress to approve further arms sales to the kingdom.
Without being able to effectively monitor how US-made weapons are being used by the Saudis and their allies, or if US training and support is mitigating civilian harm, the US risks more than its values. It also risks complicity in the crimes themselves.
Click to expand Image
A delegation from Saudi Arabia examines models of military equipment at the Dubai Airshow 2021, in the UAE on November 14, 2021. © 2021 Andrea DiCenzo/Getty Images
A new internal report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) – the congressional watchdog – found serious gaps in US government oversight of how arms sold to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are being used. These findings show that Congress needs to get more involved in these weapons sales.
Human Rights Watch and others have warned for years that US-made weapons sold to Saudi Arabia and the UAE may be being used to commit war crimes in Yemen and that US officials could be implicated. We called for a suspension of these sales. Successive administrations argued they were tracking civilian casualties in Yemen and helping the coalition mitigate them through better targeting.
But the GAO report, obtained by Human Rights Watch, indicates that they’re likely not doing enough. Despite credible reports from the United Nations and civil society monitors detailing laws-of-war violations and likely war crimes, neither the State nor Defense Departments could, according to the report, “provide evidence” that they had “investigated any incidents of potential unauthorized use of equipment transferred to Saudi Arabia or UAE.”
That’s why congressional oversight remains essential. In fact, what we know from the GAO report comes largely because of Congress’ reporting requirements.
What more should Congress do?
First, press the GAO to publish the full report. US officials are reportedly trying to redact portions before it’s published, which could obscure important findings.
Second, urge the State Department to implement the report’s recommendations including the call for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs to develop “specific guidance for investigating any indications that U.S.-origin defense articles have been used in Yemen by Saudi Arabia or UAE” in ways that violate international law.
Third, pass the Protection of Civilians in Military Operations Act, introduced in May. Among other things, the legislation would establish a hub within the Pentagon for supporting the US government on the issue of civilian harm.
The revelations in the GAO report come as President Joe Biden plans to travel to Saudi Arabia. On the campaign trail, Biden promised not to check US “values at the door to sell arms or buy oil.” In office, he has lobbied Congress to approve further arms sales to the kingdom.
Without being able to effectively monitor how US-made weapons are being used by the Saudis and their allies, or if US training and support is mitigating civilian harm, the US risks more than its values. It also risks complicity in the crimes themselves.
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