ADEN, Yemen, July 25 (Xinhua) — The UN emergency team on Tuesday began transferring crude oil from a decaying Safer tanker moored off Yemen’s western coast in a urgent mission to prevent a potential environmental disaster caused by a massive oil spill.
The Safer tanker, originally built as a supertanker in 1976 and later converted into a floating storage and offloading facility (FSO) for oil, is currently located approximately 4.8 nautical miles (8,890 meters) off the coast of Hodeidah Province in Yemen.
Abandoned since 2015, the FSO Safer is on the verge of breaking apart, raising concerns about the possibility of an oil spill that could devastate the delicate marine ecosystem and worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.
Earlier today, more than 1 million barrels of crude oil were meticulously transferred to the replacement vessel Yemen, previously known as Nautica, in a delicate ship-to-ship operation.
According to a UN statement released on Tuesday, this intricate process is estimated to take 19 days.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the United Nations has taken the risk to carry out this extremely delicate operation, emphasizing the critical nature of the oil transfer in order to avoid an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale, potentially surpassing the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska which resulted in the deaths of thousands of seabirds and marine mammals.
Earlier in July, David Gressly, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, highlighted that the ship-to-ship transfer of oil is a significant milestone but it does not signify the end of the operation.
“The next crucial step involves securely mooring the replacement vessel by installing a CALM buoy,” said Gressly.
Despite the current efforts, UN experts warn that the vessel continues to pose environmental risks due to remaining oil residue and the potential for structural deterioration.
The 1,181 feet-long vessel is composed of 34 storage tanks. After years of neglect resulting from the civil conflict, the tanker’s structural integrity has significantly weakened, making it vulnerable to breaking apart or even exploding. Previous UN reports indicate that seawater has infiltrated the engine compartment, causing extensive damage to the pipes and increasing the risk of sinking.
Ali bin Hadi, a political observer based in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, also expressed concerns about potential risks that could jeopardize the success of the operation.
“The aging pipes used in the transfer process may leak, exacerbated by scorching summer temperatures that could strain the equipment. Additionally, the presence of sea mines previously set by the Houthis in the surrounding waters heightens safety risks,” the observer stated.
In addition, tensions are expected to rise due to ongoing disputes between the Houthis and the Yemeni government over the ownership of oil and the replacement vessel.
Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally-recognized government and its allies. The war has disrupted Yemen’s food supply chain and led to widespread famine, pushing the Arab world’s poorest country to the brink of collapse.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
