Al Hudaydah: To prevent a broken oil tanker in Yemen from triggering a disaster that could cost US$20 billion to clean up, the United Nations has appealed for a final US$14 million.
Since Yemen's civil war broke out more than seven years ago, the dilapidated FSO Safer, which is 45 years old and abandoned from the rebel-held port of Hodeida, has not received maintenance. Its dissolution could lead to potentially catastrophic dispersal in the Red Sea.
David Gresley, a UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, leads the UN efforts on safekeeping.
"Less than US$14 million is now needed to reach the US$80 million target to begin an emergency operation to move oil from safe to safe," said Russell Geeky, communications advisor to Greasley.
“We are deeply concerned. If the decay of the FSO safe continues, it could break or explode at any time,” he told reporters on Tuesday via video-link from Sanaa in Geneva.
The erratic currents and strong winds from October to December will only increase the risk of disaster. The ship will eventually disintegrate and if we don't take action there will be a catastrophe. When, if not, is the question.
According to him, the result could be the fifth largest oil spill from a tanker in history, with cleanup expenses alone expected to top $20 billion.
According to the United Nations, one of the worst ecological disasters in history, the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, spilled four times more oil than The Safer.
Geeky declared that it would cause human, economic and environmental devastation.
There are 1.1 million barrels of oil on the ship. According to the United Nations, a spill could wipe out ecosystems, end the fishing industry, and shut down the vital Hodeida port for six months.
According to Geeky, Safe is useless and only suitable for scraping because nothing works on it. He declared, "It's a ticking time bomb."
I can assure you that you don't want to go on deck smoking a cigarette.
Petrol and diesel prices today: Check latest rates here
Greenland's "zombie ice" is predicted to cause a nearly 30 cm rise in sea level worldwide
BBL-12 season: Hobart Hurricanes looking at bringing Tim Paine back