Advisor at the Saudi Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah signed on Saturday a memorandum on Saudi Arabia’s contribution of 10 million dollars to tackle the danger of the Safer oil tanker that has been moored off Yemen’s Hodeidah coast for years.
The agreement was signed with United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York.
The officials discussed the humanitarian and relief efforts in Yemen and means to confront the humanitarian, economic and environment risks of the Safer tanker and the necessary measures to limit its potential dangers.
Dr. Rabeeah said the Saudi contribution is an extension of its efforts to salvage the tanker and support UN efforts aimed at averting a disaster in the area.
Gressly expressed his great gratitude to Saudi Arabia for its efforts towards restoring stability in Yemen and preserving international peace and security.
On Wednesday, the UN said it had raised the $75 million necessary to salvage the Safer in an emergency operation aimed at averting a disastrous Red Sea oil spill -- and a potential cleanup costing billions of dollars.
UN officials last month warned that the 45-year-old FSO Safer, abandoned off the port of Hodeidah, was a ticking environmental time bomb requiring immediate action.
The ship contains 1.1 million barrels of oil. The United Nations has said a spill could destroy ecosystems, shut down the fishing industry and close the Hodeidah port for six months.
The result would potentially be the fifth largest oil spill from a tanker in history, with the clean-up costs alone reaching $20 billion.
