HSA Group, Yemen’s largest private company, has announced a US$ 1.2 million donation to support the United Nations’ (UN) efforts to avert a major humanitarian, economic, and ecological disaster in the Red Sea, by pumping oil off the FSO Safer.
Carrying over one million barrels of crude oil, FSO Safer has been moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast for over 30 years. The vessel has recently deteriorated beyond repair and could disintegrate or explode at any time, with its oil cargo spilling into the Red Sea.
HSA Group’s contribution will go towards the UN’s US$ 80 million target to fund an emergency operation to remove the tanker’s oil cargo and safely transfer it to another vessel. To date, the UN has received US$ 64 million in pledges from over a dozen governments. Less than US$ 16 million is now required to help ensure the critical mission can occur.
According to the UN, failure to reach the targeted amount is likely to result in a major oil spill in the Red Sea. A spill on the scale predicted by the UN would result in key global shipping lanes being blocked and some of Yemen’s most critical ports being closed. These port closures would cut off food, fuel, and life-saving supplies from reaching millions of Yemenis who already suffer from a severe humanitarian crisis. Additionally, a spill of this magnitude would cause serious, perhaps irreparable, damage to the Red Sea’s marine life and biodiversity. It is estimated that the cost of a clean-up would be US$20 billion, with the ultimate cost to the global economy many more times that amount.
Nabil Hayel Saeed Anam, Managing Director, HSA Group, Yemen region, said: “HSA has closely followed the campaign led by the UN and the generous donations pledged by the international community. Given that there remains a large funding shortfall, and time is running out, HSA believes that the private sector must step forward. We hope that this first donation from the private sector may serve to encourage other companies across the world to contribute to the UN’s response and avert this potentially catastrophic crisis.”
