The United Nations has initiated a crucial operation to transfer one million barrels of oil from a decaying super-tanker, FSO Safer, off the war-torn coast of Yemen.
The goal is to avert a potential catastrophic spill, which would have severe environmental and economic consequences.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that this operation addresses what might be the world’s largest ticking time bomb.
The transfer involves moving 1.14 million barrels of Marib light crude from the 47-year-old FSO Safer to a replacement vessel, the Nautica, within less than three weeks.
The estimated cost of this $143 million operation is deemed essential to eliminate the risk of an environmental disaster that could cost up to $20 billion to clean up.
The Safer’s position in the Red Sea makes it a potential threat, with a spill affecting shipping routes and coastal communities, ecosystems, and ports.
The Safer, which has not been serviced since Yemen’s civil war began eight years ago, carries four times as much oil as the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989. Its corroding hull has been a constant concern for the skeleton crew of workers on board, trying to prevent leaks or explosions.
The UN purchased the replacement vessel, Nautica, in March, and experts from SMIT Salvage have assessed the Safer’s readiness for the transfer.
Though the handover of the Nautica was symbolic, it marks an essential step in the process.
Ownership disputes are anticipated over the oil and the Nautica (renamed Yemen), involving the Huthi rebels and the Aden-based government.
Despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis and conflicts in Yemen, progress with the Safer operation could be a step toward a more durable ceasefire between the warring parties.
