Oil Tanker “FSO Safer”

Debate between Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park and Lord Swinfen

Monday 7th February 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con)]

My Lords, there are numerous moving parts. It is worth pointing out that we remain one of the biggest donors to Yemen, contributing more than £1 billion since the conflict began. We remain very concerned by the situation there and continue to support the UN-led efforts to end the conflict. We believe that a negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen. To deal with this particular part of the conflict—this potential crisis—the UK is working closely with the UN donor group consisting of the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, France and Germany to support UN efforts to resolve the risk posed by the “Safer”.

[Lord Swinfen (Con)]

My Lords, are any plans in place to offload the cargo to mitigate any potential damage?

[Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con)]

If I heard the question correctly, plans have been put together with UK support to do precisely that—to try to shift the oil from this tanker to another—but that is not possible without co-operation across the board. I refer the noble Lord to my first Answer.