Doha, September 22 (QNA) - Qatar Fund for development (QFFD) signed on Thursday a financing agreement of USD 3 million with UNDP to support the FSO Safer Salvage Operations to prevent the risk of oil spillage off Yemen's Red Sea coast.
The project aims to support salvage operations of the Floating Storage and Offloading FSO vessel Safer. As For seven years the Production and offloading operations were suspended due to the conflict, and no maintenance operations have been undertaken of the vessel Safer. The current conditions of the vessel pose a high risk and could have long-reaching environmental and humanitarian impact without immediate assistance.
"Qatar Fund for Development is deeply concerned by the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental risks posed by the FSO Safer and has committed $3 million USD in support of the UN-Coordinated salvage operations to prevent the catastrophic spill," said Sultan Al Aseeri, Deputy director for Projects at QFFD "Together with the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, David Gressly, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) greatly appreciates Qatar Fund for Development funding toward the FSO Safer UN-planned efforts," said Auke Lootsma, UNDP in Yemen's Resident Representative.
"This timely funding is a critical step toward helping us mobilize the required resources to avoid what may potentially be the world's worst environmental catastrophe," he noted.
(QNA)