Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

UN starts emergency plan to salvage Yemen’s corroding oil tanker

UN starts emergency plan to salvage Yemen’s corroding oil tanker

The UN has begun phase one of an emergency plan to rescue a deteriorating oil tanker near Yemen’s western city of Hodeidah after obtaining funding from donors, a UN official told Arab News, boosting hopes of defusing the country’s “ticking time bomb.”
Russell Geekie, communication officer for UN Humanitarian Coordinator David Gressly, said that the UN is in negotiations with a company to rescue the tanker as well as secure a vessel to offload the oil, and that a team is working on drafting a rescue strategy.

“Preparatory work for the operation has already begun, including the processes to contract the salvage company and procure the vessel that will hold the oil,” Geekie said.

“Completion of a detailed operational plan and procurement of the vessel are the two major steps ahead of the work on the water,” he added.

The UN “will be able to provide a timetable for the work upon completion of the detailed operational plan,” Geekie said.

“We expect the salvage company will send a team to Yemen in November to finalize the detailed plan.”

The 45-year-old floating FSO Safer tanker, carrying more than 1 million barrels of crude oil, has been deprived of crucial routine maintenance since the Houthis forcefully took control of much of Yemen in late 2014, triggering a civil war.

The FSO Safer has drawn concern from around the world over the past three years since seawater began seeping into the tanker’s chambers due to corrosion.

International and local environmentalists have warned that if the ship exploded or sunk, it would cause a severe environmental disaster in the Red Sea that would be worse than the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989.

Geekie said that even if the UN mission begins repair work on the ship by the end of 2022, oil may not be transferred off the corroding tanker until next year.

“We are still hopeful that the work on the water can begin before the end of the year (contingent upon procurement of a suitable vessel), but the transfer of the oil would most likely be next year,” he added.

On Oct. 21, the Houthis demanded that the UN submit an operational plan for approval before commencing operations on the sea, accusing the organization of causing delays in carrying out the emergency strategy to repair the tanker.

Despite criticism of the UN mission, the Houthis voiced approval for the idea, according to Geekie.

“They have expressed that they are eager to receive a detailed operational plan, which is a critical step ahead of the start of the operation.”

With reference to the Houthi last-minute backtracking on a commitment to grant the UN access to the ship, the Yemeni government accused the militia of using the crisis as a negotiating weapon.

The UN raised $75 million through a crowdfunding campaign that started in June for phase one of the strategy, which includes draining the oil from the tanker.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
×