The US and Britain are increasingly worried about a rusting oil tanker stranded off Yemen’s coast, and are considering a military-backed mission to end the threat of environmental devastation it poses.
Former UK foreign minister Sir Alan Duncan and Ian Ralby, chief executive of IR Consilium, a maritime security consultancy, said the FSO Safer could spill 1.1 million barrels into the Red Sea at any moment, causing chaos on a vital shipping lane and hurting coastal towns.
The UN has pleaded for years with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control nearby ports for access to fix the tanker.
Experts have described a growing appetite in the Biden administration, Britain and elsewhere to act now and avert an ecological disaster.
"Don't miss this chance to get it sorted," Mr Duncan, a former UK minister of state for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, told The National.
“You’ve got to empty it and scrap the ship, otherwise the entire Red Sea is at risk.”
He praised US President Joe Biden’s decision to cut support to Saudi-led military operations in Yemen while taking a tough line on the Houthi rebels, who control territory near the decrepit tanker.
“The enlightened change of policy is a fantastic opportunity to sort this environmental threat," Mr Duncan said.
"It would be negligent if this sensible turnaround in approach is not accompanied by a clear policy to make the Safer safe."
He said he spoke to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson about their shared concerns over the tanker.
A joint clean-up mission could mark an “early success” in Anglo-American ties in the Biden era, said Mr Duncan, a former oil trader who held government jobs including as envoy to Yemen.
“If the UK and the US work together with the UN, there's a good chance of getting this sorted,” he said.
The 45-year-old vessel has been stranded off Ras Isa oil terminal, 60 kilometres north of the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah, since 2015.
The UN says it could spill about 1.1 million barrels of oil into the ocean – four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster near Alaska.
The UN has repeatedly had to gain Houthi approval for access to fix the tanker, which experts say could rupture at any moment and should be scrapped, only for the rebels to later change their minds.
Houthi officials approved a UN mission late last year, but that now appears unlikely despite the world body spending $3.35 million on recruiting engineers, leasing vessels and acquiring repair gear.
The Houthis say the mission can still go ahead, but analysts say the Iran-backed rebels want the Safer in place to profit from future oil sales and to raise the risks for any seaborne assault by Saudi forces.
Mr Ralby, who advises governments on the vessel, said UN efforts had failed.
He urged the US, Britain and others to push for authorisation of a military operation in the UN Security Council.
The mission would include engineers, backed by armed forces, demining water near the floating storage and offloading platform, and spending one month carefully draining the tanks before the tanker was scrapped, Mr Ralby said.
A major spill would hurt tourism, fishing and desalination plants across Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti, and impede a shipping lane that is used for up to 10 per cent of global trade, he said.
“There is more interest and genuine engagement with this in the last several weeks than there has been the last several years,” Mr Ralby said, referring to policy shifts under the Biden administration.
“There is a groundswell of genuine interest on the part of key governments that would take an interest and actually be able to take some action and maybe move this forward at the UN level.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday said there had been “no movement” on access to the vessel.
Any spill would stop shipments of much-needed fuel, food and other supplies from reaching Houthi-held Hodeidah, Mr Dujarric said.
A US State Department official said the Houthis were "negotiating in bad faith" and urged them to let UN engineers aboard to repair the leaky hulk.
"The only real option is to do everything we can to prevent a spill or explosion, and that requires immediate action," the official told The National.
This week, UK Minister of State James Cleverly told Parliament of a £20 billion ($27.6bn) clean-up operation for what would be the “worst ecological disaster probably in our lifetime”.
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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Draw
Quarter-finals
Real Madrid (ESP) or Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA) or Lyon (FRA)
RB Leipzig (GER) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP) or Napoli (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER) or Chelsea (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Ties to be played August 12-15 in Lisbon
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
WTL%20SCHEDULE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
