For decades, the FSO Safer had been used to store oil off the coast of Yemen. But when the Houthis took control of the capital city of Sanaa in 2014, the government-owned tanker was suddenly located in Houthi-controlled territory. The tanker fell into disrepair, and by 2022, there was a real concern that the vessel could sink, releasing more than a million barrels of oil into the Red Sea.

David Gressly was the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, and his job was to provide support to the 13 million people who needed humanitarian assistance. But late one night, David got a call from his bosses in New York, asking him to do something many felt was impossible—getting the Houthis and the Yemeni government to agree on a plan to transfer the oil off the FSO Safer. 

The Negotiators is a podcast from Foreign Policy and Doha Debates—and a special partner this season, the International Peace Institute.