IMO has issued an urgent appeal to member states for oil spill response equipment as a contingency in the UN Development Programme (UNDP)-led attempt to salvage and secure oil from abandoned floating storage and offloading unit (FSO) Safer off the coast of Yemen
IMO said it is seeking used or "near end-of-life" spill response equipment that can be transported to the region within weeks".
IMO said it is providing expertise in oil spill preparedness and response as part of the contingency planning for a possible oil spill from FSO Safer, in line with the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation.
21 April
On 19 April, UNDP contracted Boskalis subsidiary SMIT Salvage to transfer the oil from decaying tanker Safer and prepare the vessel to be towed to a scrap yard. Boskalis’ vessel Ndeavor departed for the Red Sea on 21 April, according to the company.
The work offshore from Yemen’s Ras Isa peninsula is expected to begin in May. In March, the UN secured a replacement vessel, VLCC Nautica from Euronav, which will take on the oil from Safer. Nautica is currently en route from China to Yemen.
FSO Safer has been stranded in Red Sea for years following the outbreak of a civil war in Yemen. Unmaintained and in advanced state of decay with more than a million barrels of crude oil aboard, the vessel represents a major hazard, with fears that It could break apart at any time, causing a massive oil spill.
The magnitude of the spill could have catastrophic effects for marine life in the region and potentially bar routes into Yemeni ports and block relief aid to a vulnerable populace in the war-torn nation.
"Following a long planning period, our salvage experts are keen to get to work and remove the oil from the Safer,” said Boskalis chief executive Peter Berdowski, “Ndeavor is ready for departure, and I wish the crew all the success in this important mission.”
Ndeavor will first sail to Djibouti over the coming three weeks. The salvage crew will make the final preparations in Djibouti before departing for Safer. The initial onsite phase will focus on a thorough inspection of the vessel, its cargo and creating a safe working environment. Once the vessel and its cargo tanks are declared safe, Nautica will come alongside, at which point the ship-to-ship oil pumping operation can commence. Safer’s tanks will subsequently be cleaned and the residual water will also be transferred to Nautica. Boskalis estimates the entire onsite operation will be completed within two months.
Once the FSO is declared clean and empty, it will be prepared for towing to a green scrapping yard under the responsibility of the UN.
However, David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen who has led UN system-wide efforts on Safer since 2021, stressed the need to secure funding. “We urgently need to close the US$29M funding gap for the emergency operation and raise the additional funds needed to ensure safe long-term storage of the oil.”
On Monday, the UK and the Netherlands announced they will cohost a pledging event 4 May with the aim of fully funding both phases of the Safer project.
The UN has received firm funding commitments of US$99.6M, however that still leaves the organisation about US$29.4M short as the total budget for this first phase is estimated at US$129M. The UN estimates the second phase of the operation will cost US$19M.
To fill the budget gap, the UN is appealing to Member States and private entities, as well as the global public. Donors can make contributions here.
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