- The objective is to raise $144 million, of which $80 million will pay for offloading the vessel’s cargo of oil.
- Time is of the essence if the plan, consisting of two simultaneous tracks, is to prove successful.
The saga of the safe continues with the United Nations’ effort to raise funds to save a ship that has been anchored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast since 1988, reports Arab News.
The plan is to raise $144 million, of which $80 million will pay for unloading the cargo of oil on board safely.
Evading the humanitarian and environmental catastrophe
To this end, the governments of the US and the Netherlands, represented by the Dutch Ambassador to the US Andre Haspels, jointly hosted a meeting on Friday that was attended by US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lendering and representatives of the diplomatic community.
“We urge public and private donors to consider generous contributions to help prevent a leak, leak or explosion whose impact would destroy livelihoods, tourism and commerce in one of the world’s critical shipping lanes.” read a joint statement, referring to the abandoned ship.
The UN-coordinated plan aims to prevent an economic, humanitarian and environmental catastrophe that could affect not only Yemen, where 17 million people depend on humanitarian aid, but the wider region as well.
“The Safer is a ticking time bomb and it is time to solve the problem,” political analyst Dr. Hamdan al-Shehri told Arab News.
He added, “The ship has been lying unclaimed for seven years. It is the responsibility of the international community to press the Houthis at all levels to resolve the many issues facing Yemen and Yemenis, including the safe dispute.”
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Source: Arab News
