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The salvage of the ageing supertanker FSO Safer, off the Yemeni coast, can now begin, the UN said on Wednesday, after it announced that more than $75 million has been pledged to carry out the vital operation.

David Gressly, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, briefed journalists at UN Headquarters in New York, following an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly co-hosted by partners in the mammoth rescue effort, the Netherlands, the United States, and Germany.

The rusting vessel has been anchored just a few miles off the Yemen coast for more than 30 years, but offloading and maintenance stopped in 2015 following the start of the war in Yemen, between a Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally-recognized Government, and Houthi rebels.

Fears have grown that unless vessel is secured, it could break apart causing a devastating oil spill and other environmental damage, which the UN estimates would cost at least $20 billion just to clear up, as well as devastate the fragile economy of war-torn Yemen - triggering a humanitarian catastrophe.

$38 million needed for phase two
Mr. Gressly said that once the pledges are fully converted into cash for the initial salvage operation, with more than $77 million promised from 17 countries, an extra $38 million was still needed for phase two - the installation of safe replacement capacity to secure the one million barrels of oil on board.

The UN plan is for this to be done through transferring the oil to a secure double-hulled vessel, as a permanent storage solution, until the political situation allows it to be sold or transported elsewhere, said the Resident Coordinator.

Mr. Gressly said that apart from the 17 national partners, the private sector, philanthropic foundations and a "very successful" crowd-funding initiative launched in June, had also been instrumental in reaching Wednesday's "significant milestone".

Donations large and small
Some 2,000 individuals have generously contributed, and he praised the $1.2 million private sector donation from Yemeni conglomerate The HSA Group

Among those who had helped raise money for the operation, were a group of six children from an elementary school in the US state of Maryland, he said, who had recognized that securing the tanker and avoiding disaster, was "a common problem for us all."

Although more than $30 million is still needed for phase two, "I believe with the momentum we have seen today, that will be a target we can reach in a timely fashion", he said.

He praised the warring parties for reaching a political agreement to allow the operation to move forward, and said the next crucial step was now to carry out the salvage, which should begin in earnest in a few weeks' time. Once underway thanks to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) which will handle the first stage, it will take around four months to stabilize the tanker, before the oil transfer can take place.

Cost of failure'
The Humanitarian Coordinator reminded what was at stake if action is not taken. A major spill would devastate fishing communities on Yemen's Red Sea coast, and impact Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and other countries. The Yemeni ports of Hudaydah and Saleef could be closed, which are essential to bring in food for around 19 million who need assistance.

Tens of millions of dollars now, could save tens of billions of dollars in the future, the UN has warned.

"Everybody understands the cost, everybody understands the impact, and everybody wants to act. I take great satisfaction in seeing that unified effort today, to find a solution", said Mr. Gressly.

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Yemen: UN launches crowdfunding campaign to head off decaying oil tanker threat

13 June 2022
Climate and Environment
A social media campaign launched on Monday by the United Nations aims to bring the world closer to preventing a decaying supertanker, anchored off Yemen, from causing an oil spill that could spell disaster for the region and beyond.

The goal is to raise funds to start the $80 million emergency operation to transfer oil from the FSO Safer to a temporary vessel.

Today I launched a @UN crowdfunding campaign because we urgently need funds to start the emergency operation before it is too late. Learn more: https://t.co/H6q5MJWBDg pic.twitter.com/moFtjedoKn

David Gressly (@DavidGressly) June 13, 2022
The FSO Safer is moored off Yemen's Red Sea coast and contains more than a million barrels of oil. The tanker is beyond repair, and the fear is that it could soon break apart or explode.

At 376 metres long, it is among the largest tankers in the world, and holds roughly four times the crude oil that was spilled during the Exxon Valdez disaster, off Alaska, in 1989.

The Safer has been anchored just a few miles off the Yemen coast for more than 30 years, but the war between the pro-Government coalition and Houthi rebels saw offloading from the vessel, as well as maintenance, grind to a halt in 2015.

Funding shortfall
The UN is ready to implement the emergency rescue operation but is delayed because of insufficient funding for the transfer operation.

Some three-quarters of the money required has been received, following the announcement of a $10 million pledge by Saudi Arabia this week. The United States is also working towards a $10 million contribution.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, David Gressly, launched the crowdfunding campaign, which encourages people everywhere to contribute towards raising $5 million in individual donations by the end of this month so that work can start in July.

The transfer operation is part of a two-track plan, with an overall cost of $144 million, which also involves installing a replacement vessel for the FSO Safer.

Roads proposal
Meanwhile, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, continues his engagement in the wake of the recent extension of the two-month truce between the Government and Houthi rebels.

The envoy visited the Houthi stronghold Sana'a last week to discuss issues, including the proposal for the phased re-opening of key roads in Taiz and other governorates.

The UN proposal takes into consideration various concerns expressed by both sides during discussions thatstarted in Amman, Jordan, last month.

Mr. Grundberg is expecting an imminent response from Sana'a on the proposal.

The opening of roads is a measure to alleviate the suffering of Yemenis, as well as bring about some sense of normalization and facilitate freedom of movement for civilians, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York.

"Mr. Grundberg remains committed to working with the parties to implement all elements of the truce to continue delivering its tangible benefits to Yemeni women, men and children, as well as engaging on next steps to consolidate the opportunities provided by the truce to put Yemen on a pathway to peace," he said.