The United Nations has announced its commencement of operations to safely extract oil from a deteriorating supertanker in the Red Sea. This proactive measure aims to avert a potentially disastrous environmental event. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged the organization’s willingness to assume this delicate task in the absence of any other capable entities, stating, “The United Nations stepped up and took on the risk in carrying out this operation.”
The burden of the 47-year-old FSO Safer tanker has rested upon the U.N.’s shoulders since 2015, when Yemen’s civil war halted maintenance on the vessel. As a result, the tanker has been abandoned and stranded off the coast of Yemen for over eight years. Despite persistent warnings regarding the deteriorating structural integrity of the tanker, Yemen’s rebel group, the Houthis, have obstructed foreign access and inspection attempts.
The U.N.’s project to prevent a massive oil spill by removing the tanker’s 48 million gallons of oil was initially launched in 2019. However, they faced opposition from the Houthis when trying to access the FSO Safer. President Biden’s foreign policy shift toward diplomacy in Yemen, including the cessation of U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia’s offensive against the Houthis, complicated the situation. Nevertheless, these policy changes did not have an immediate impact on the ongoing efforts to prevent the impending oil spill, which is projected to be four times the size of the Exxon Valdez incident.
On February 24th, 2021, the Houthis further delayed the U.N.’s mission by presenting a new list of requests. Finally, after a prolonged process, the U.N. was able to commence the offloading of oil from the FSO Safer with the assistance of a $10 million donation from the United States. The operation is expected to last 19 days.
U.N. Secretary-General Guterres emphasized the collaborative nature of this mission, stating, “This is an all-hands-on-deck effort and the culmination of almost two years of political groundwork, fundraising, and project development.”
The U.S. Department of State called upon the global community and private industries to contribute the remaining $22 million required to complete the project, recognizing the critical importance of the oil transfer in averting a potential economic, environmental, and humanitarian crisis in the Red Sea and beyond.
According to United Nations Development Program (UNDP) spokesperson Sarah Bel, the cleanup of the potential oil spill would require an estimated $20 billion and multiple years to complete.
In conclusion, the United Nations’ operation to prevent a catastrophic oil spill in the Red Sea is an urgent and complex undertaking that requires the support and cooperation of various stakeholders. The consequences of inaction are severe, and immediate action is crucial to avoid lasting damage to the environment and economy.
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