Civil war has already propelled Yemen into the midst of one of the largest humanitarian crises the world has seen. Yet, another crisis looms in the shape of the FSO Safer, a floating oil storage and offloading facility moored just 4.8 nautical miles off Yemen’s Red Sea coast. “Since the war broke out, there has been a skeleton crew trying to maintain Safer…one by one, all the systems broke down,” says Russell Geekie, Senior Communications Advisor to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen.  

Unless action is taken, Safer will fail, potentially spilling all 1.14 million barrels of light crude oil held in its tanks into the Red Sea. 

The impacts of a leak

IMO projections suggest in the worst-case scenario, areas up to 300 kilometres away would see heavy oiling. Lighter oiling would be experienced some 500 kilometres. Coral reefs and mangrove forests would be devastated, as would wildlife. 

Coastal communities would see the loss of fishing, a vital food security and income source, and suffer health effects from the hazardous pollutants. The ports of Al Hudaydah and Saleef could close, cutting off essential supplies such as food and fuel. Loss of fuel would impact water trucks that transport water around the country, the operation of water pumps that extract water from underground sources, and desalination plants, which would also be challenged with oil-clogged pipes and making oil-polluted water safe. Shipping routes that cross the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Suez Canal could be disrupted. Communities across the Red Sea that rely on tourism may also suffer. 

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Read the full story at On the Radar.

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