Removal Of 1.14 Mln Barrel Oil From Decaying Tanker In Red Sea Begins

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has started implementing a project to prevent a massive oil spill from a supertanker off Yemen’s Red Sea coast with the removal of more than 1 million barrels of oil from the decaying vessel.

The FSO Safer has been at risk of breaking up or exploding for years. A major spill from the vessel would result in an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.

Under the supervision of experts, 1.14 million barrels of oil is being pumped into the replacement vessel Yemen in a ship-to-ship transfer that is expected to take 19 days to complete.

The oil transfer operation is carried out by marine salvage company SMIT, a subsidiary of Boskalis.

After its arrival at the site on May 30, SMIT has stabilized the 47-year-old Safer.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “The ship-to-ship transfer of oil which has started today is the critical next step in avoiding an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale.”

Meanwhile, the United States urged the international community – including the private sector – to come together to support this critical project to prevent a catastrophic oil spill in the Red Sea.

The United States has been a leading supporter of UN efforts to address the threat posed by the Safer tanker over the last two years, having provided $10 million for the operation.

An additional $22 million is needed to complete the operation and address all residual environmental threats posed by the tanker, according to a State Department estimate.

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