Yemen’s HSA commits $1.2 million to UN to stop tanker oil spill

As the U.N. desperately tries to secure an initial requirement of $80 million, Yemen’s HSA Group on Thursday became the first private organisation to pledge funds for a United Nations operation to prevent an oil spill from a tanker stranded off the coast of Yemen.

 

The Safer, which has been stuck off a Red Sea oil port since 2015, could release four times as much oil, according to the international organisation, which has raised more than $60 million so far.

 

The largest private company in Yemen, HSA, announced a $1.2 million donation to help with the tanker’s initial offloading. The tanker has a capacity of 1.1 million barrels.

 

Nabil Hayel Saeed Anam, managing director of HSA’s Yemen operations, stated in a statement that ‘HSA feels that the private sector must step forward given that there remains a significant cash gap and time is running out.’

 

A U.N. spokesperson told Reuters in response to a question that the organisation has raised $64 million, including the HSA pledge and more than $142,000 through a public crowdfunding drive that was started in June and will be relaunched later this month.

 

Before winter seas boost the risk of a break up, the crowdfunding campaign sought to gather $5 million for the plan to move the oil to a secure temporary vessel.

 

After then, the UN would set up long-term replacement storage. The total cost of the project is $144 million.

 

The top U.N. representative in Yemen, Russell Geekie, told Reuters that the organisation hoped that HSA’s contribution would act as a catalyst for other private organisations.

 

According to him, benefactors have already contributed $9–10 million to the effort. ‘The United Nations invites others who are in a position to contribute to do so as quickly as possible and donors who have pledged monies to disburse them urgently.’

 

For Yemen, which is already dealing with a severe humanitarian catastrophe as a result of a seven-year war, and across the Red Sea, The Safer poses an environmental disaster risk. According to the U.N., a clean-up would cost $20 billion.