Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has prepared a contingency plan in the event that the abandoned FSO Safer oil tanker off the coast of Yemen capsizes.

We remain deeply concerned by the deteriorating state of the FSO SAFER oil tanker. The Foreign Secretary raised the tanker's dire condition, which poses an environmental, economic and humanitarian threat to Yemen and the region, during the P5+ High Level Ministerial meeting on 17 September. The Houthis urgently need to grant access to the tanker so that the UN can inspect the vessel and carry out any much needed repair work. The UK is working with the UN and other donors to ensure the mission proceeds and that comprehensive UN contingency plans are in place should a leak occur.