Yemen: Neglecting Maintenance of Oil Tanker will put Environment at Risk

 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.

Further the damage could be spread to the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz, which is on the other side of the port. This would mean that the whole marine life will be destroyed with the scale of oil that will be spilled in the ocean. Last year the UN gave a detailed report which was also made available to the leaders of Houthi militia but despite all of that, they are reluctant to take any step and keep on neglecting the damage that this decay could do.