An oil tanker containing 1,148,000 barrels of light crude oil is in danger of disintegrating to the extent that the oil could spill out into the sea near the coast of Yemen, the UN is warning, following reports that seawater has begun to seep into the tanker's engine room.
According to an article in The Guardian, the Safer tanker was seized by Houthi rebels from the Yemeni government in 2015 and has remained moored off Yemen's coast ever since. The rebels are insisting on guarantees regarding the oil, once valued at $60 million, before allowing inspectors on board.
UN humanitarian coordinator Mark Lowcock said that if the oil spills, "Every fishing community along Yemen's west coast would see their livelihoods collapse," and that the spill would directly affect around 1.6 million people, as most of the oil would remain near the coast. This could also shut down the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida for months, meaning that imports would stall, humanitarian aid would be unable to reach people dependent on it, and food prices could skyrocket.