Environmental Catastrophe Prevented As UN Completed Removing the Oil from Tanker Off Yemen’s Coast

The United Nations has concluded the transfer of more than 1 million barrels of oil from a decaying tanker stranded off the coast of war-torn Yemen, averting a possible environmental catastrophe.

On July 25, an international team began transferring oil from the neglected tanker known as FSO Safer. Almost all of the oil is moved to a replacement vessel called MOST Yemen.

It took 18 days for the salvage personnel to discharge the oil in a coastal combat zone studded with sea mines, high summer temperatures, and strong currents.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed the news of the completion of the operation and stressed that the move had avoided "what could have been a monumental environmental and humanitarian catastrophe."

Proud moment

More than $120 million was gathered for the operation, which included the acquisition of a second tanker for the offloaded crude, aircraft on standby to drop chemicals to dissipate the oil in the event of a spill, and insurance with more than a dozen insurers to finance the operation.

"Today 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," Achim Steiner, UN U.N. Development Programme Administrator, said in a press statement.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, who has led the UN system-wide efforts on the Safer since September 2021 said that the operation marks a great milestone for the protection of the Red Sea, however, he noted that there is still work to be done.

"The installation of a CALM buoy to which the replacement vessel will be safely tethered is the next crucial step," he added.

The second step of the project entails installing a mooring system to allow Yemen, the replacement vessel, to remain in position. The FSO Safer will be demolished after being towed to a shipyard.

The Secretary-General underlined the UN's commitment to completing the operation, which has a total cost of more than $140 million, with an additional $20 million required.

The United States applauded the success of the operation and urged other nations to contribute to its completion.

"The UN urgently needs the international community and private sector's financial support to fill the remaining $22 million funding gap needed to finish the job and address all remaining environmental threats," the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Oil inside the tanker

Gressly said that the oil on board the FSO Safer was in good condition, which means it may be sold-a procedure that will necessitate negotiations between Yemen's warring parties.

He stated that the UN has volunteered to act as a "go-between," including the establishment of a trust fund or an escrow account, but no decisions have been made.

For many years, the U.N. and other governments, as well as environmental groups, have warned that an oil spill or explosion might impede global commercial shipping along the vital Bab el-Mandeb and Suez Canal routes, causing enormous economic loss.

A possible oil spill would also destroy coral, mangroves, and marine life in the area.

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