Arab News Japan

Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, YAMADA Kenji, called for urgent international action to address the FSO Safer, a supertanker in an advanced state of decay moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast, in a video message statement delivered on May 4 at the Pledging Conference.

The conference, co-hosted by the Governments of the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along with the United Nations, highlighted the critical situation of the supertanker.

The FSO Safer, which currently holds four times the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez –enough to make it the fifth largest oil spill from a tanker in history– is expected to break apart or explode if not addressed promptly, according to the United Nations.

A massive spill could devastate the Red Sea’s pristine reefs, coastal mangroves, and sea life, exposing millions to highly polluted air and cutting off food, fuel, and other life-saving supplies to Yemen.

A close-up view of the oil tanker on June 19, 2020 off the port of Ras Isa. (Maxar Technologies/AFP)

During the conference, Yamada highlighted the importance of the UN-coordinated Safer Salvage Operation Project (SSOP) to mitigate the risk of a catastrophic spill.

“In light of the importance of this issue, we will continue to work with the international community to advance this project,” he said in a statement, emphasizing that the FSO Safer is the most pressing issue that the international community must urgently tackle, given the many challenges Yemen is facing.

Yamada highlighted Japan’s commitment to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, having provided approximately 430 million US dollars in humanitarian assistance since 2015. He announced that Japan would provide at least approximately $24 million of additional humanitarian assistance in 2023.

Reiterating Japan’s determination to continue working with the international community to address the FSO Safer issue, Yamada underscored the importance of collaboration to mitigate the risk of one of the world’s largest oil spills.