Saudi Arabia provides $10 million to confront potential threats from Safer tanker

Saudi Arabia provides $10 million to confront potential threats from Safer tanker

RIYADH — King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) announced Sunday that Saudi Arabia will provide $10 million to contribute to addressing the existing threats arising from the oil tanker, Safer, which is anchored off the Red Sea coast north of the Yemeni port city of Al Hodeidah. In a press release, KSrelief stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always supported the United Nations’ efforts to avoid the economic, humanitarian, and environmental threats posed by the tanker, where an oil spill resulting from further deterioration of Safer has the potential to cause a major environmental and navigational disaster that would cause widespread damage to the Red Sea coast. Fishing communities, international navigation and the delivery by ship of food, fuel and lifesaving supplies to Yemen would all be impacted, exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the region and threatening all Red Sea countries. KSrelief stressed in its statement that Saudi Arabia has repeatedly warned the international community that the world would face a significant environmental disaster if the oil in the tanker leak into the Red Sea. The Safer tanker contains more than one million barrels of oil, and has not been maintained since 2015, and any leakage