The UN says it is “confident” it will soon raise enough money to mount a rescue operation from a decaying oil tanker moored off the coast of Yemen that is likely to disintegrate, causing an environmental disaster.
FSO Safer contains more than a million barrels of oil and experts warn that it can break or explode at any time, causing damage to habitats and livelihoods along the Red Sea coast whose repair would cost around $20 billion.
By early September, some $68 million had been pledged for the rescue operation, $12 million less than the U. N. target of $80 million. replacement capacity for the Safer. “
A UN spokesman said: “We are confident that we will soon get the target amount,” he added. “Added Array. “” We still want donors to disburse the budget they promised. “
To date, only about $10 million of the $68 million has been remitted.
Fundraising, however, gained momentum during the year. In May, a engagement event in The Hague raised some $33 million from a combination of nine European governments, Qatar and the European Union. The following month, Saudi Arabia said it would donate $10 million.
On a smaller scale, a public crowdfunding crusade filed in June raised about $145,000 from about 2,000 people.
Some personal corporations have also begun to interfere to offer monetary assistance. HSA Group, Yemen’s largest personal company, announced on August 25 a $1. 2 million donation to the UN’s FSO Safer emergency appeal, becoming the first personal sector organization to donate to the appeal.
“With a significant investment hole still in place and time running out, HSA believes the personal sector wants to take a step forward,” said HSA CEO Nabil Hayel Saeed Anam. “We hope this first donation from the personal sector can be used to inspire other corporations around the world to contribute. “
So far, this has not happened, the UN spokesman said that “other personal entities have expressed interest in contributing. “
Efforts to secure the shipment of the Safer have been on the drawing board for years, however, the Houthi insurgent organization that controls the domain in which the shipment is moored has blocked access to the site. There is now a truce between the Houthis and the Yemeni government. and its Saudi-led coalition partners, there is now hope that the stalemate can be broken.