DUBAI: For years, a rusty oil tanker has been moored off war-torn Yemen — abandoned and threatening to break up or explode in what would be an ecological and humanitarian catastrophe.
On Tuesday the United Nations said it had reached an “agreement in principle” with Houthi militia to pump out the volatile cargo from the FSO Safer vessel and transfer it to another ship.
The 45-year-old ship, long used as a floating oil storage platform, has been moored off Yemen’s western port of Hodeidah in the Red Sea since 2015, without being serviced.
It is moored about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the nearest inhabited areas with 1.1 million barrels of crude on board.
Apart from corrosion to the aging hull, essential work on reducing explosive gases in the storage tanks has been neglected for years.
Greenpeace has warned the vessel could “explode at any moment.”
Experts said the latest problem emerged in May 2021 with a leak in a cooling pipe, which was later fixed.
The UN has said an oil spill could destroy ecosystems, shut down the fishing industry and close Yemen’s lifeline Hodeidah port for six months.
Independent studies show it could expose more than 8.4 million Yemenis to heightened pollution.
Maritime traffic and coastal countries including Djibouti, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia could also be affected.
About 80 percent of Yemen’s population depends on some form of aid for survival, with the civil war between the internationally-recognized government and Iran-backed Houthi militia showing no signs of abating.
Inspection of the deteriorating ship has dragged on for years with UN requests for access repeatedly declined by the Houthis, who control much of Yemen’s north including Hodeidah port.
The militia have said they want guarantees that the value of the oil on board the Safer would be used to pay salaries of their employees.
The Yemeni government has said the money should be used for health and humanitarian projects.
In November 2020, the Houthis said they gave the green light for a mission to assess the fuel tanker.
The UN initially planned it in early 2021, but it has been repeatedly delayed.
The UN last year urged the Houthis to “facilitate unconditional and safe access for UN experts to conduct a comprehensive and impartial assessment and initial repair mission without further delay.”
The UN said on Tuesday that an “agreement in principle” has been reached to transfer the toxic cargo from the tanker to another ship, without giving further details or a timeline.
“I am pleased to report recent progress in efforts to resolve the Safer tanker issue, including an agreement in principle to a UN-coordinated proposal to shift the oil to another ship,” said Martin Griffiths, the UN’s deputy chief for humanitarian affairs.
Abandoned oil tanker off Yemen a disaster waiting to happen: UN
https://arab.news/mvg5p
Abandoned oil tanker off Yemen a disaster waiting to happen: UN
- The 45-year-old ship has been moored off Yemen's western port of Hodeidah in the Red Sea since 2015
- Greenpeace has warned the vessel could “explode at any moment”
Israeli approval of West Bank land registration draws outrage
- Israel’s government has approved a process to register land in the West Bank, drawing condemnation
JERUSALEM: Israel’s government has approved a process to register land in the West Bank, drawing condemnation from Arab nations and critics who labelled it a “mega land grab” that would accelerate annexation of the Palestinian territory.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the measure would enable “transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes” and was needed after unlawful land registration in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
But Egypt, Qatar and Jordan criticized the move as illegal under international law.
In a statement, the Egyptian government called it a “dangerous escalation aimed at consolidating Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the “decision to convert West Bank lands into so-called ‘state property’,” saying it would “deprive the Palestinian people of their rights.”
The Palestinian Authority called for international intervention to prevent the “de facto beginning of the annexation process and the undermining of the foundations of the Palestinian state.”
Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now called Sunday’s measure a “mega land grab.”
According to public broadcaster Kan, land registration will be reopened in the West Bank for the first time since 1967 — when Israel captured the territory in the Middle East war.
The Israeli media reported that the process will take place only in Area C, which constitutes some 60 percent of West Bank territory and is under Israeli security and administrative control.
Palestinians see the West Bank as foundational to any future Palestinian state, but many on Israel’s religious right want to take over the land.
Last week, Israel’s security cabinet approved a series of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords in place since the 1990s.
Those measures, which also sparked international backlash, include allowing Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly and allowing Israeli authorities to administer certain religious sites in areas under the Palestinian Authority’s control.
Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.
Around three million Palestinians live in the territory.
