The government once again contributes 7.5 million euros to the rescue of the FSO Safer oil tanker, which has been off the coast of Yemen for years. Minister Liesje Schreinemacher (Foreign Trade) said Saturday during a visit to the country. The tanker is in danger of losing or exploding if it is not rescued.
The promised money was needed to fill a funding gap. There is now enough money to start with the bailout. “The Safer is a time bomb,” said Schreinemacher. In May, the government already presented the same amount. Then it happened during a digital donor conference organized by the United Nations.
The FSO Safer tanker has more than one million barrels of oil on board. If the ship leaks or explodes, it could cause an oil spill in the Red Sea.
Eight years ago, a bloody civil war broke out between the government and the Houthi rebels. No maintenance has been done on the rusted ship since that war. Already at the end of January, Greenpeace had asked for oil to be transferred to other ships to prevent “one of the greatest oil disasters in history”.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Sa’ed in the city of Aden, Schreinemacher stressed that the warring parties must achieve “lasting peace,” the ministry said. It is the first time in fourteen years that a Dutch minister has visited Yemen.
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