Disaster looms as abandoned tanker rusts off Yemen’s coast

The FSO Safer, a deteriorating oil tanker off Yemen's coast, poses a significant environmental threat. With 1.1 million barrels of oil, it risks a spill four times larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster. Abandoned in 2017, its condition worsens amid Yemen's civil war. A 2020 leak highlighted its vulnerabilities, with non-operational fire systems. A spill could devastate coral reefs, close desalination plants, and cut off clean water for 9 million people, exacerbating Yemen's famine. Political tensions have blocked UN inspections, complicating mitigation efforts.

What role do the Houthi rebels play in the context of the FSO Safer?

What impact could an oil spill have on Yemen's fish sources?