Averting the Yemeni coast catastrophe

Two-stage emergency operation for FSO Safer backed by UN crowdfunding campaign to prevent an environmental disaster in the Red Sea. 

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. 

A plan to avert a disaster

Earlier this year, an UN-coordinated plan to secure the Safer and its oil received backing from the Yemeni Government and the de facto authorities in the capital of Sana’a, who control the area where Safer is located.  

“The plan has two phases, first the emergency phase to secure the vessel and then to transfer the oil onto a temporary safe location,” says Geekie. Smit Salvage is expected to conduct the much-needed work to secure Safer and transfer the oil to a safe location (a leased tanker). Safer’s tanks will also need cleaning to “make the vessel safe for salvage, but also reduce environmental impacts should the vessel break up [after the oil is removed],” Geekie explains. The second phase is to install a long-term replacement for Safer, a double-hull vessel tethered to a CALM (catenary anchor leg mooring) buoy system.

Boosting donations with crowdfunding 

Fundraising for the operation has been difficult. “In May, we came up with a total of U$38 million, which was a good start,” says Geekie. To fill the gap, the UN launched a crowdfunding campaign in June. As well as bringing in additional funding from individuals, “it got people talking about this effort, and we believe that helped move things a little bit faster with donor pledges,” says Geekie. 

As of mid-October, U$77.3 million has been pledged by donors, which includes nations such as Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark, the private entity HSA Group, and individuals through the crowdfunding campaign. This amount is sufficient to cover the costs of phase one of the operation (U$75 million) and contribute to the cost of phase two (U$38 million). 

Geekie reports that as of 14 October, U$41.7 million of the pledges have been disbursed, and U$29.3 million was being processed. “Other donors have signalled they will convert their pledges to cash soon,” he says. If all goes to plan, phase one will begin before the end of the year. Fundraising for phase two remains a top priority. 

Donations for the second phase of the operation are being accepted at the UN’s campaign website. 

Dr Sam Andrews is a marine ecologist and science writer