Offshore staff
HODEIDAH, Yemen — The UN has completed the transfer of oil from the FSO Safer supertanker offshore Yemen’s Red Sea coast, preventing the immediate threat of a massive spill.
Many reports have stated that the Safer has been at risk of breaking up or exploding for years, and a major spill from the vessel would have resulted in an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.
The cargo of oil aboard the FSO Safer has been pumped onto the replacement vessel MOST Yemen (formerly Nautica) in a ship-to-ship transfer that began on July 25, following preparations on site for the operation that began in May by marine salvage company SMIT, a subsidiary of Boskalis. The UN Development Program (UNDP), which contracted SMIT, is implementing the operation.
As much of the 1.14 MMbbl has been extracted as possible. However, less than 2% of the original oil cargo remains mixed in with sediment that will be removed during the final cleaning of the supertanker.
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said, “There is still work to be done, but today we can say with confidence that the immediate threat of a spill has been averted.”
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, who has led UN systemwide efforts on the Safer since September 2021, said, “A remarkable global coalition came together under the UN umbrella to prevent the worst-case scenario of a catastrophic oil spill in the Red Sea. We need to finish the work the UN started. The installation of a CALM buoy to which the replacement vessel will be safely tethered is the next crucial step.”
08.11.2023
