More than one million barrels of oil have been transferred from a decaying supertanker off war-torn Yemen, averting a major spill in the Red Sea.

The emptying of the FSO Safer marked the culmination of nearly two years of political negotiations, technical planning and fund-raising, against a backdrop of ongoing conflict between Yemeni Government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi rebels.

David Gressly, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, has been in the lead on this “very hard process”.

He spoke to UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki about what will happen to the oil, lessons learned and why average Yemenis have welcomed the news.

Mr. Gressly began by providing background on the operation, which was spearheaded by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).