Netherlands calls for action on stranded Yemeni supertanker

The Dutch government has called for more urgent action to deal with the environmental threats posed by a decaying supertanker stuck off the coast of Yemen with more than a million barrels of oil on board.

In a joint statement with the US government, the Dutch authorities have warned that the “rapidly decaying and unstable supertanker” could unleash an “environmental disaster” unless more rapid action is taken to salvage the ship and offload the oil.

The FSO Safer is a floating oil storage and offloading vessel moored in the Red Sea, just north of the Yemeni city of Al Hudaydah. It has roughly 1.14million barrels of oil onboard.

But since the outbreak of Yemen’s civil war in 2015, the ship has been left largely unattended and exposed to humidity and corrosion. Furthermore, the dissipation of inert air onboard has raised the possibility of an explosion.

Consequently, environmental groups have labelled the ship a “ticking timebomb” that could result in the largest oil leak seen for many years.

In April, the United Nations (UN) proposed a plan to gradually offload the oil to a temporary vessel and to eventually tow the supertanker to a yard for salvage.

However, under the UN proposal, it would take four months for the oil to be transferred, a timetable that the US and Dutch authorities believe is too long.

“The Safer is a rapidly decaying and unstable supertanker that contains four times the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez. It could leak, spill or explode at any time, severely disrupting shipping routes in the Gulf region and other industries across the Red Sea region, unleashing an environmental disaster and worsening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” read the statement.

“By October, high winds and volatile currents will make the UN operation more dangerous and increase the risk of the ship breaking apart. In the event of a spill, the cleanup alone is expected to cost $20bn,” it added.

“We urge public and private donors to consider generous contributions to help prevent a leak, spill or explosion, whose effects would destroy livelihoods, tourism and commerce in one of the world’s vital shipping lanes,” concluded the statement.

The statement was issued in the wake of a delegation to the Gulf that included Dutch ambassador to Yemen Peter Derrek Hof, US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, and UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen David Gressly, to increase awareness of the imminent risks the Safer poses to the entire region.

“The machine room has already been flooded once. If the tanker sinks, explodes or starts to leak, around 140,000 tonnes of oil will flow into the Red Sea, with catastrophic consequences for people and for the environment,” said Hof.

If this happens, it will wipe out various species of fish and coral reefs, and 126,000 Yemeni fishermen will lose their livelihood. The UN estimates that in the area around the Red Sea, approximately 30 million people would be affected by a disaster of this scale.

The US and Dutch authorities are calling for $144m to finance the UN’s rescue plan, $80m of which will be used to fund the emergency operation to transfer the oil onboard.

An earlier fundraising event held by the UN and the Netherlands in May brought in close to half of the required amount, but more is needed. The joint statement from the US and Netherlands suggests that the private sector could be involved, as opposed to a conglomerate of international governments.

However, the salvage operation is complicated by the ongoing conflict in the region and will depend on the willingness of Houthi rebels to cooperate, stated Hof.

In 2015, when the war first broke out, the FSO Safer fell into the hands of the Houthis, the rebel groups now in charge in Yemen. As long as these Houthi rebels cannot offer permission or guarantees, there is no way of securing the tanker and the oil, said Hof. “I’m hopeful the oil can be pumped out of the tanker by the end of the year. But it’s a tricky undertaking.”