A floating time bomb in the Middle East
More than 30 years later, the images from and effects of the 1989 Exon Valdez crude oil spill still haunt us. To this day, despite all out efforts, pockets of the 11 million gallon of oil spillage remain in some locations.
A similar tragedy is waiting to happen, this time off the coast of Ras Isa at the endpoint of a 430 kilometre long oil pipeline. Since 2015, the FSO Safer tanker — a floating storage unit and export terminal for Yemen since 1988 — has been disintegrating in the Red Sea. The causes are both natural (sea water corrosion) and anthropogenic (obstruction of maintenance work). The latter cause is accredited to the Houthi rebels who on account of the tanker’s location near the port of Hodeidah, claim possession over the ship’s cargo as well as the 1.1 million barrels of oil on board. On September 24, an ‘oil slick’ had been identified, 50km west of the ship. Here it is important to note that the Safer’s cargo is four times that of the Exxon Valdez, thereby emphasising the acute nature of the disaster in the offing.
Back in July, the Houthis had agreed in principle to allow the United Nations to carry out the much-needed repairs. However, for them the ship has become a bargaining chip — a means of consolidating their power against the Saudi coalition — which is why they want official ownership of the oil, estimated to be worth $40 million, before giving the go-ahead.
An oil spill would be an environmental catastrophe. It would destroy the Red Sea’s 2,000-kilometer-long coral reef system which also feeds and provides livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of Yemenis as well as obstruct humanitarian supplies to Hodeidah, assistance which is the principle lifeline for almost two-thirds of Yemen’s population. Not to forget, it would disrupt the Bab Al Mandab Strait which is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, meaning that the bearings would without a doubt spread far beyond the region.
According to experts there is no straightforward solution. The best that can be done is to extract the oil out of the ship into other vessels and to safely abrade the Safer in a secure port. However, doing all this in the middle of a theatre of war creates another challenge altogether. Currently, the recent conflagration in Yemen, is over the oil-rich province of Marib which had been relatively unruffled till now and in fact become a place of stability for many of the displaced populace from other parts of the country. As a result, its population has increased to approximately three million people. The offensive over Marib has become a major block in the way of peace talks.
The conglomerative impact of more than five years of conflict has killed more than 100,000 people in Yemen and has brought to pass, what the UN reiterates every year is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. More than 80% of the population require survival aid. Out of these, approximately two million children are severely bulimic. Flooding and Covid-19 have further exacerbated the depravity. On the economic side, the Yemeni riyal has lost 70% of its value against the US dollar. Over the course of war, prices have risen by more than 140%. Added to this are fuel shortages, primarily a result of the competition in Hodeidah port over fuel imports. Remittances, the last remaining life belt, have dropped by more than 70% this year.
The war in Yemen has slowly succumbed into an abyss of indifference. Contradicting the norms of globalisation, some believe the effects from the Yemen war are limited to those involved and within the region itself. However, a disaster in the form of a tanker explosion or oil spill would have huge catastrophic international ramifications which may render all mitigating measures futile.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2020.
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