- Nashwan Ahmed's Blog
- Log in or register to post comments
"Safer” is a semi-fixed floating oil reservoir in the Yemeni deep waters near to the Hodeidah province seaport, and it is an oil export terminal station. It has 1.14 million barrels of crude oil since the war broke out in March 2015 until now.
What is the disaster of the "Safer floating tank"?
The corrosion of the Safer floating tank chassis, pipes, and valves are not the only concerns. Moreover, the floating tank is not far from Hodeidah which is a disputed coastal province with heavy and varied weapons. The risk of any missile or a stray bomb being damaged for the floating tank cannot be ruled out. This floating tank needs extensive maintenance sense it has not been adequately maintained since the war broke out more than five years ago. It has become a growing international concern due to the international importance of the Red Sea where the Safer floating reservoir located. The Red Sea is one of the most important international shipping routes, and it has a diverse environment.
The likelihood of oil spilling out will affect the Red Sea, and who lives in the region by affecting daily living resources, and this effect will extend to 30 years. The catastrophe will befall the various neighborhoods, including humans, animals, birds, plants, and the environment, and the Red Sea will lose its nature completely. The Red Sea is one of the richest marine environments biologically. It has huge amounts of fish and marine species, many of which are rare. The Red Sea has hundreds of islands that are characterized by picturesque nature. Many of the islands are inhabited by people who engage in economic activities that depend entirely on the sea; in addition to the inhabitants of the coastal provinces, who most of them live on the Red Sea environment and economic activities that depend on it, foremost of which is fishing.
The spill of crude oil will lead to the spread of many types of toxins that will lead to the marine life and plants decimation, birds migration or death, and the oil stains will block the sun's rays from the seafloor and depths; which will turn the depths and the bottom into a graveyard for various types of life; and this environmental disaster will inevitably lead to an economic disaster such as fishing, practicing any economic activities will not be possible for several years, and navigation in this important waterway will falter a lot.
Nashwan Ahmed
An associate at IEF
