Sanaa Warns of Catastrophic Deterioration in “Safer” Oil Tanker Caused by Saudi Aggression

By Staff

The ministries of transportation and fuel within Sanaa’s National Salvation Government warned of the “catastrophic deterioration in the condition of the Safer oil tanker due to the lack of periodic maintenance since 2015 as a result of the Saudi -led aggression against Yemen and the blockade imposed on the country.

Both ministers of transportation Abdul Wahab al-Durrah and of fuel and minerals Ahmed Dares emphasized in a meeting that “the current situation in Safer oil tanker is deteriorating on a daily basis, which cautions that a huge environmental catastrophe is about to engulf the coastal neighborhoods and the environment in general in the Red Sea area and the neighboring countries.”

The ministers also noted that the heavy winds the Red Sea area will be witnessing in the coming days will deteriorate the tanker’s situation, pointing to that Yemen has signed with the United Nations a deal regarding maintenance work for the reservoir as soon as possible although the UN didn’t meet its commitments based on this agreement.

The two ministers additionally held the United Nations fully responsible for any catastrophic repercussions that might be caused to the “Safer” tanker.

The floating oil storage Safer is moored in the Red Sea north of the Yemeni city of al-Hudaydah.

Safer is a rapidly decaying and unstable supertanker that contains four times the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez. It could leak, spill, or explode at any time, severely disrupting shipping routes in the Gulf region and other industries across the Red Sea region, unleashing an environmental disaster, and worsening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.