Oil Leak Risks an Environmental Catastrophe in Aden’s Coasts

An oil tanker sank off the Buraiqeh Coast in Aden, Saturday, resulted in the leaking of its oil and petroleum products cargo, polluting large extended areas, from Buraiqeh to Al Haswah according to Sources who spoke to “South24.”

The Sources said that the oil tanker “DIA” was in a dilapidated condition, as it had been anchored off Buraiqeh Coast for years.

The owner of the oil tanker is the “Oversea” shipping Company (Abr Al Bihar) owned by Businessman Ahmed Saleh Al Aisi, the Deputy Director of the Presidential office.

In an exclusive statement for South24, the Chief Executive of the Public Maritime Affairs Authority said: “Oil filtration processes continue in the coasts affected by the leaked oil, amid Continuous monitoring of the situation from the Minister of Water and Environment and the Oil Minister as well as Aden’s Governor”.

Speaking to “South24”, Fisal Al Thalaby, The Acting Deputy of the Environmental Protection Agency, said that “the oil and its derivatives pollution, weather in the shape of exhaust or crude oil, badly affects the maritime biodiversity, especially with the existence of many marine creatures in Aden’s coasts or the humid lands, in their nursing ages before returning to the deeper seas”.

“The slow-moving mollusks take the stones of the dusty coast, as a safe sanctuary for reproduction, food and living” he said.

“Oil Pollution leads to killing the environment, not to mention the sufferings of people in the fields of fishing or tourism” he added.

He called on “obliging all ships’ owners in the port of Aden to establish a rubber barrier, to avoid the occurrence of more similar accidents, in light of the poor conditions of many tankers”.

Activists have circulated photos and videos of the oil tanker sinking, showing a floating black substance over water along the coasts. People saw oily stains which have been formed on the water surface off "Tiger's Hill" Coast.

كارثة بيئية.. غرق سفينة وقود لـ"العيسي" في سواحل #عدن pic.twitter.com/0f1yYJay13

— نيوزيمن (@NewsYemen5) July 18, 2021

The Yemeni Transport Minister, Abdulsalam Hamid, ordered Yemen Gulf of Aden Ports Corporation and the Public Maritime Affairs Authority to go to the accident scene to evaluate the environmental harmful effects, and uplift the sunken ship in “Al Mekhtaf” area, to avoid disrupting the navigation movement.

The minister called on summoning the Navigation Representative of the “Oversea Company”, the owner of the oil tanker, blaming him for the harmful effects of the accident. He demanded taking urgent measures regarding the company’s ships in the port area of Aden, as a result of their technical incompetence, and the expiration of their licenses.

Ahmed Hamed Lamlas, the Governor of Aden, directed the Environmental Protection Agency to inspect the maritime pollution, and to report about its levels and harms, as well as the measures taken by the relevant parties in dealing with the situation.

It is notable that this accident is not the only one of its kind, as the pollution flooded Aden’s beaches over long distances towards the city of Enma last September. 

Local residents fear the harmful effects on fishes due to the lack of accountability for those repeated violations.