The UK is committing an extra £2m to help prevent an oil spill off the coast of Yemen

The United Kingdom has announced an extra £2 million in funding to help tackle a major oil spill off the coast of Yemen.

British Minister for Asia and the Middle East, Amanda Milling, said in a statement on the British government’s website today (Monday) that the United Kingdom will step up efforts to contain the deadly oil spill in the Red Sea. , with an additional contribution of two million pounds.

During a meeting he attended with his counterparts from Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, Melling called on the international community to step up its support to address the crisis.

A dangerous oil spill from the Whistle oil tanker could lead to environmental disaster in the Red Sea and worsen the difficult humanitarian crisis in Yemen, a British minister has warned.

According to the statement, he explained that the United Kingdom would strengthen its support to resolve the crisis, indicating the readiness of the United Nations to implement urgent action to address this catastrophic event.

But Melling added, “But the international community needs to increase the amount of funding needed to work on this matter.”

It is worth noting that the tanker Safer is moored off the coast of the Red Sea and contains more than one million barrels of oil, knowing that it is beyond repair and it is feared that it will soon break down or explode, destroying the surrounding environment. May expose communities in Yemen to life-threatening toxins.

The United Kingdom pledged £4 million last May in response to an appeal at the United Nations General Assembly to launch an $80 million contingency plan requested by the United Nations as a first phase, and donors have so far pledged $60 million.

The United Nations program includes a four-month emergency rescue operation during which oil is transferred from one vessel to another to empty the oil tanker Safer and loaded onto a vessel chartered by the United Nations. After this operation, the tanker is cleaned. Later replaced by another tanker.