For years now Oil tanker at Red Sea Coast in Yemen have been left to decay and rust putting the environment at risk. Given the scale of damage it is capable of doing, the United Nations delegations stepped up to help with the situation but Houthi militias have refused their help.
The FSO Safer
contains more than a million barrels of crude oil and because of the
mishandling, experts have warned the authorities that if this continues an
environmental catastrophe will be on cards. They are scared about the
possibilities after the vessel breaks apart.
The oil tanker is
located opposite of Ras Issa Port, Hodeidah City. The issue with the
functioning of the oil tanker is that it had been working with the Yemeni Oil
Company but since the civil war broke out due to Houthi invasion, the operations
of the oil tanker has been stopped. These heavy loaded machines need timely
maintenance which is not happening given the current circumstances.
Houthi rebel
groups have denied any interference in the country’s affairs and it even
threatened that if the United Nations forces its involvement in Yemen, it will
deal with the situation in a violent manner. It is 45-year-old FSO Safer, which
is anchored about 60 km north of the rebel group held at port Hudayadh.
Last year, it was
reported that water had entered the engine of the tanker which means that there
is an increase in the risk of the vessel sinking or exploding. Though a
temporary fix was implemented but there is no surety if it would last for long
and the UN too confirmed that if any accident were to happen, it will have a
large scale environmental impact.
There are
projections of a huge health disaster and for a country like Yemen, which is
already struggling with governance and humanitarian order, this will be a fatal
decision. Apart from the health sector, economic and environmental duatsters is
also on card if this continues. If any accident happens, Yemen will have to
suffer for 30 years and the civilians will be subjected to a lot of serious
health problems.
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