Yemen, Britain Warn against 1 Mn Barrel Oil Leak in Red Sea from Safer Tanker

The Safer oil tanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast, pictured in March 2005. (Getty Images)
The Safer oil tanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast, pictured in March 2005. (Getty Images)
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Yemen, Britain Warn against 1 Mn Barrel Oil Leak in Red Sea from Safer Tanker

The Safer oil tanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast, pictured in March 2005. (Getty Images)
The Safer oil tanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast, pictured in March 2005. (Getty Images)

Yemen’s Minister of Fish Wealth Fahd Kafayen warned that a marine environment disaster was imminent in the Red Sea over the continued erosion of the Safer floating oil storage and offloading vessel that is moored north of Hodeidah city.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the disaster was looming after the corrosion of the floating tank, which holds nearly a million barrels of crude oil.

He said that leak would lead to a marine disaster that would stretch across vast areas of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and reach neighboring regions. It will lead to massive destruction in marine life and the spill would be difficult to contain.

Its impact will last for several years, he warned.

The Safer is laden with some 1.1 million barrels of crude oil and has been stranded with no maintenance since early 2015, soon after the Iran-backed Houthi militias staged their coup in Yemen, leaving it to deteriorate and potentially allowing explosive gases to build up.

Kafayen urged the international community to immediately intervene and force the Houthis to allow experts to urgently resolve the problem before it gets even worse.

British Ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron echoed the plea, urging the militants to allow United Nations experts to access the tanker and assess the situation.

The experts should be allowed to prepare a report on the best ways to handle the problem, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The United Nations has warned that if the Safer ruptures, it could block maritime trade through the Red Sea, which accounts for up to 10 percent of world trade.

It could also threaten the daily passage of some 5.5 million barrels of oil, contaminate drinking water and damage the marine environment across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and parts of Gulf waters.

The tanker holds a capacity of 3.5 million barrels. The Safer company used to perform regular maintenance on the vessel until the Houthis seized control of Hodeidah and prevented them from accessing it.

Some 176 workers used to operate the floating platform, but now there are only four.

According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, Safer was listed put up for auction by Japan in 1986. It was considered the world’s second largest vessel as the time. The Hunt Oil Company purchased it and turned it into a floating platform near Ras Issa in Hodeidah.

Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani had previously cited technical reports that warned that a leak would spill 138 million liters of oil in the Red Sea, which would be four times worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaskan waters.



WHO: Dire State of Maternal and Neonatal Health in Yemen

 Hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia remain leading causes of maternal deaths in Yemen (UN) 
 Hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia remain leading causes of maternal deaths in Yemen (UN) 
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WHO: Dire State of Maternal and Neonatal Health in Yemen

 Hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia remain leading causes of maternal deaths in Yemen (UN) 
 Hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia remain leading causes of maternal deaths in Yemen (UN) 

The World Health Organization (WHO) raised on Thursday the alarm about the dire state of maternal and neonatal health in Yemen, which it described as “devastating.”

The agency also underscored the urgent need for scaled-up interventions to save lives and protect the well-being of Yemen's most vulnerable.

“Decades of conflict and a spiraling humanitarian crisis have decimated Yemen's health system,” WHO said in a report issued on World Health Day 2025.

Its statistics painted a stark picture of suffering and loss. Figures showed that maternal mortality reached 183 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, a devastating regression in maternal health outcomes.

WHO said preventable complications such as hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia remain leading causes of maternal deaths, claiming the lives of women who should be experiencing the joy of motherhood.

It also noted that prematurity, asphyxia, pneumonia and sepsis contribute to unacceptably high neonatal mortality rates while malnutrition and anemia are rampant among women of reproductive age, jeopardizing their health and the health of their babies.

“The reality for mothers and newborns in Yemen is heartbreaking,” said acting WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo.

“Behind these statistics are stories of immense hardship and loss. On this World Health Day, we cannot accept this as the status quo. We must act decisively and with unwavering commitment to ensure healthy beginnings and pave the way for hopeful futures,” Coulibaly-Zerbo added.

In this regard, WHO said it works tirelessly with health partners to deliver critical support and implement lifesaving interventions in Yemen, including strengthening surveillance systems to better understand and respond to maternal deaths and improving the quality of care in health facilities, ensuring access to skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care.

It also works on providing essential medicines, equipment and supplies to health facilities and training, supporting midwives and other health care providers and addressing malnutrition through screening, counseling and supplementation programs.

WHO called on the international community to increase funding for maternal and neonatal health interventions, for the government and health authorities to prioritize and strengthen the health system and all stakeholders to work together to overcome barriers to access and ensure that every mother and newborn receives the care they need.

“The future of Yemen depends on the health and well-being of its mothers and children,” said Couliba-Zerbo. “Let World Health Day 2025 be a turning point, a moment when we collectively resolve to protect and invest in hopeful futures for all Yemenis,” she added.