“The people of Yemen are already suffering from one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. A spill on the country’s coast would hit millions of vulnerable people very hard. We must act now,” said Development Aid Minister Matilda Ernkrans (S) in a press release.
The 46-year-old oil tanker FSO Safer, with over a million barrels of crude oil on board, has been anchored for seven years without maintenance near the Huthi rebel-controlled port of al-Hudaydah. According to the UN, an oil disaster is imminent due to the ship’s poor condition.
In a first step, the UN action plan costs SEK 800 million. Through Sida earlier this year, Sweden contributed SEK 30 million.