UN urges countries to transfer millions in pledges to avert catastrophic oil spill from Red Sea tanker

Months after several countries pledged millions of dollars to the UN to salvage a decaying oil tanker in the Red Sea, the international agency is still waiting for most of the money to arrive, as time runs out to avert an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.

The United Nations in May launched an effort to raise $75 million US to pay for the removal of more than a million barrels of crude oil from the FSO Safer off Yemen’s western coast, warning the ship was at risk of disintegrating or exploding.

Such a disaster would have far-reaching effects for the countries and marine life along the Red Sea, and