Crowdfunding to avert oil tanker spill off Yemen

The United Nations is resorting to public crowdfunding to save a 45-year-old oil tanker off the coast of Yemen, where an environmental disaster is looming. A recent UN donor conference failed to raise the amount needed for the rescue of the stricken ‘FSO Safer’ tanker, which experts say could break apart or explode at any moment. According to the UN, around $80 million is needed to start the salvage operation. Three-quarters of the sum has now been collected. UN emergency relief coordinator for Yemen David Gressly hopes the new crowdfunding campaign can raise $5 million from private individuals. The ‘Safer’ has been used as a floating oil storage tank since the1980s and is carrying 1.1 million barrels of crude oil. The ship is now considered structurally unsound as it has not been maintained since war broke out in Yemen in 2015. — dpa