Boskalis/SMIT Salvage, a Dutch rescue company, is preparing to travel to Yemen to transport oil from the shaky tanker "Safer." The ship could disintegrate at any time, causing a major environmental disaster.
The Netherlands is contributing to a United Nations-led rescue effort.
The Safer is a 40-year-old VLCC that is moored about 8 kilometers off Yemen's western coast. The Safer is a large oil tank that was used as a floating tank. However, due to negligence, the ship began to deteriorate.
The possibility of a leak, fire, or explosion is high. If nothing is done, large amounts of oil could spill into the Red Sea.
The Safer oil spill would have far-reaching consequences. It will have serious consequences for the environment, shipping, and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people who rely on small-scale fishing.
The United Nations estimates that cleaning up the spill will cost $20 billion and that it will take 25 years for fish stocks to recover from such a disaster. When these potential consequences are considered together, they pose a significant humanitarian risk to a country already experiencing food shortages. Therefore, the United Nations is committed to taking swift action, in coordination with a number of countries, including the Netherlands.
Now that the Boskalis has been approved, all of the oil will be transferred to a specially equipped tanker. After that, the SAFER can be cleaned and safely removed. What will be done with the oil is still unknown. Difficult issues must first be resolved in light of different countries' contributions and interests. But everyone agrees on one thing: the first step is to get the oil out of Safer as quickly and safely as possible to avoid a massive humanitarian and environmental disaster.
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