The United Nations (UN) has successfully completed the transfer of oil from the FSO Safer supertanker off Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the UN Development Program (UNDP) revealed in a statement sent to Rigzone late Friday.
The move prevents the immediate threat of a massive spill, according to the UNDP, which noted that the Safer has been at risk of breaking up or exploding for years.
In its statement, the UNDP said the cargo of oil aboard the FSO Safer has been pumped onto the replacement vessel MOST Yemen in a ship to ship transfer that began on July 25, following preparations on-site for the operation, that began in May, by SMIT, a subsidiary of Boskalis. The UNDP highlighted in the statement that it contracted SMIT and that it is implementing the operation.
As much of the 1.14 million barrels has been extracted as possible, the UNDP said. Less than two percent of the original oil cargo remains mixed in with sediment that will be removed during the final cleaning of the Safer, the company added in the statement.
“I welcome the news that the transfer of oil from the FSO Safer has been safely concluded,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a UN statement.
“The United Nations-led operation has prevented what could have been an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale,” he added.
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said, “Today [Friday] is a proud moment for the many people across the UN System as well as our donors and partners who have worked tirelessly over the past months and years to avert a disaster in a country already vulnerable following protracted conflict”.
“There is still work to be done, but today we can say with confidence that the immediate threat of a spill has been averted,” Steiner added.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, who has led UN system-wide efforts on the Safer since September 2021, said, “today is a great milestone”.
“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,” he added.
“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,” he continued.
Major Disaster Averted
In a statement posted on its Twitter page, Boskalis said its subsidiary SMIT Salvage “has removed all oil from the decaying FSO Safer in Yemen”.
“During this UN coordinated operation over 1.1 million barrels of oil was successfully transferred to a safe modern tanker. The completion of this operation has averted a major disaster,” Boskalis added in the statement, which also included a video of the operation.
Boskalis subsidiary SMIT Salvage has removed all oil from the decaying FSO Safer in Yemen. During this UN-coordinated operation over 1.1 million barrels of oil was successfuly transferred to a safe modern tanker. The completion of this operation has averted a major disaster. pic.twitter.com/bpR8e1Tcgt
— Beleef Boskalis (@beleefboskalis) August 11, 2023
In a statement posted on the U.S. Department of State website, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, said, “I welcome the news that the UN has completed a complex maritime operation in the Red Sea to safely offload the entirety of the oil onboard the FSO Safer, a decaying 47-year-old oil supertanker moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast”.
“The Safer was at risk of an oil spill four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster. Such a spill would have cost tens of billions of dollars to clean up and been an environmental, economic, and humanitarian catastrophe for the region,” he added.
“A broad international coalition banded together – with strong, early U.S. leadership – to tackle this problem. I want to thank UN Resident Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly, who spearheaded the project, the United Nations Development Program, and other international partners who donated to this important effort. The United States, and specifically U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking, has been a leader on the project, working tirelessly to ensure its progression,” he continued.
Blinken went on to note that, “while the immediate crisis has been averted, the full operation, including safe removal of the Safer, is not yet finished”.
“The UN urgently needs the international community and private sector’s financial support to fill the remaining $22 million funding gap needed finish the job and address all remaining environmental threats,” he said in the statement.
“This operation serves as a strong model for future international coordination and cooperation to proactively prevent crises before they occur. We…
Read More: VIDEO: UN Completes FSO Safer Supertanker Oil Transfer