IMO Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, addressed the threat of the major oil spill from the FSO SAFER– the aging supertanker moored of Yemen’s Red Sea Coast that could break apart or explode at any time.
Yesterday, the United Nations urged to raise $80M in order to prevent an oil tanker off the west coast of Yemen exploding and causing an environmental disaster. The UN will try to offload more than 1.14m barrels of oil that have been sitting in the decrepit cargo ship, the 376-metre-long vessel FSO SAFER, for more than 6 years because of an impasse between Houthi groups and the Saudi-backed government over ownership and responsibility.
What is the FSO SAFER?
The FSO SAFER is an offshore floating storage vessel used to export crude oil, that has been in place since the 1980s and is at risk of breaking apart unleashing its cargo of oil across the Red Sea.
FSO SAFER’s engines have not been started for several years, and the structure has been exposed to humidity and corrosion with little or no maintenance.
In the face of an impending environmental disaster, we must do all we can to prevent it. We must act now
…said Kitack Lim.
The IMO has been supporting contingency planning efforts in the region to mitigate the severity of impacts should there be a spill. An oil from FSO SAFER would be a humanitarian and environmental disaster, with a huge economic impact for the shipping and maritime industry throughout the region.
…he added. According to Kitack Lim, the United Nations has a coordinated plan to mitigate the risk by transferring the oil to a safe temporary vessel and this needs financial resources.
For this reason he said that IMO urges full support and participation in the 11 May pledging conference, organized by the Government of the Netherlands and the United Nations.
The time is now. The risks are high. We must act to avert disaster
…he concluded.
IMO Secretary-General gives full support to the @UN plan to avert a disaster from FSO SAFER: https://t.co/qv1wxHGWwJ #FSOSafer #Yemen pic.twitter.com/o2wMFgTpys
— International Maritime Organization (@IMOHQ) May 11, 2022
