The United Nations has said it has raised enough money for the first phase operation to remove 1m barrels of oil from a decaying, stranded tanker lying five nautical miles off the coastline of war-torn Yemen.

UN officials are now contacting all parties who have pledged to donate to fund the immense salvage operation of the FSO Safer, with the Netherlands the latest government to come in with a sizeable donation.

The FSO Safer has been moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast for over 30 years. The vessel has recently deteriorated beyond repair and could disintegrate or explode at any time, with its oil cargo spilling into the Red Sea. The FSO Safer has 157,000 tonnes of crude onboard. 

By comparison, the Exxon Valdez was merely carrying around 35,000 tonnes when it met with disaster.