Lessons from the FSO Safer
Tue Jan 27 2026
Welcome to the SAIS Review’s The Looking Glass Podcast. This episode is part of our collaborative series with the Politics of Disaster class at SAIS. We explore how crises unfold at the intersection of conflict, governance, and environmental risk. My name is Andrea Majert Galera, and I am joined by my co-host Marcel Kolb. Today, we turn to the story of the FSO Safer. FSO Safer is a deteriorating oil tanker off Yemen’s coast that, for years, threatened to unleash one of the world’s largest man-made environmental disasters. The multinational effort to avert this catastrophe became a success story of cooperation amid an active war. It nevertheless raises more profound questions about responsibility, prevention, and the governance of high-risk infrastructure in conflict zones. Joining us today on the podcast is Nicholas Brumfield.
Nicholas Brumfield graduated with an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University and has worked since 2018 as a researcher on Middle East politics and security. He has specifically developed an interest in maritime security. His analysis can be seen in publications including Al-Jazeera, the Daily Beast, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Amwaj Media, and L'Orient L'Jour. We hope you enjoy this episode of the Looking Glass Podcast.
Remember to leave 5-stars and share with a friend!
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Welcome to the SAIS Review’s The Looking Glass Podcast. This episode is part of our collaborative series with the Politics of Disaster class at SAIS. We explore how crises unfold at the intersection of conflict, governance, and environmental risk. My name is Andrea Majert Galera, and I am joined by my co-host Marcel Kolb. Today, we turn to the story of the FSO Safer. FSO Safer is a deteriorating oil tanker off Yemen’s coast that, for years, threatened to unleash one of the world’s largest man-made environmental disasters. The multinational effort to avert this catastrophe became a success story of cooperation amid an active war. It nevertheless raises more profound questions about responsibility, prevention, and the governance of high-risk infrastructure in conflict zones. Joining us today on the podcast is Nicholas Brumfield. Nicholas Brumfield graduated with an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University and has worked since 2018 as a researcher on Middle East politics and security. He has specifically developed an interest in maritime security. His analysis can be seen in publications including Al-Jazeera, the Daily Beast, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Amwaj Media, and L'Orient L'Jour. We hope you enjoy this episode of the Looking Glass Podcast. Remember to leave 5-stars and share with a friend!