The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Yemen: UN starts high stakes operation to prevent catastrophic oil spill from decaying tanker
A complex maritime salvage effort started on Tuesday morning in the Red Sea off the coast of war-torn Yemen to transfer one million barrels of oil from a decaying tanker to a replacement vessel.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as possibly “the world’s largest ticking time-bomb”, as the United Nations-led mission began.
“(It is) definitely a challenging operation, both because it was technically complex, and because of the location of the vessel Safer, and obviously the political context,” said Sarah Bel, spokesperson for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), in Geneva.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck mission and the culmination of nearly two years of political groundwork, fundraising and project development" said the UN chief.
The Safer - which was abandoned over eight years ago - has been at risk of breaking up or exploding for years. According to UNDP, the oil aboard the Safer is being pumped into the replacement vessel Yemen (formerly Nautica) in a ship-to-ship transfer that is expected to take 19 days to complete.
“We know that it would devastate fishing communities in Yemen’s Red Sea coast…likely wiping out 200,000 livelihoods instantly,” said Ms. Bel. “So whole communities of the region would be exposed to life-threatening toxins.”
The UNDP spokesperson added: “The environmental impact on coral reefs, life supporting mangroves and other marine life would be severe and we estimate that fish stocks would take 25 years to recover.”
A catastrophic oilspill would likely also close the ports of Hudaydah and Saleef “which are essential to bring food, fuel and lifesaving supplies into Yemen, where 17 million people need food assistance”, Ms. Bel explained.
In addition, shipping on the Suez Canal could be disrupted for weeks and a potential clean-up bill could easily run into the tens of billions of dollars, experts have warned.
Although the ship-to-ship transfer of the Safer oil is an important milestone, it is not the end of the operation.
A critical next step is arranging for the delivery of a specialized buoy to hold the replacement vessel in place safely and securely.
“There's a long-term solution because we will need, after removing the oil, to tow and scrap the Safer and make sure that we store the oil,” explained Ms. Bel. “So, you can see this is such a complex operation…to my knowledge, this is the very first time that we deal with such a project.”
The UN will need about $20 million in funding to finish the project, which includes cleaning and scrapping the Safer and removing any remaining environmental threat to marine life.
-ends-
- Exterior wide shot: UN flag alley UN Geneva
- Wide shot: mediator behind panel at the press conference, screens with speakers
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Sarah Bel, UNDP Communication Advisor: “Definitely a challenging operation, both because it was technically complex because of the location of the “FSO Safer” and obviously the political context.”
- Close shot: attendee typing at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Sarah Bel, UNDP Communication Advisor: “We know that it would devastate fishing communities in Yemen’s Red Sea coast and likely wiping out 200’000 livelihoods instantly. So whole communities of the region would be exposed to life threatening toxins.”
- Medium shot: mediator and attendees at the press conference, screen with speakers
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Sarah Bel, UNDP Communication Advisor: “It would also close the ports of Hodeidah and Saleef which are essential to bring food, fuel and lifesaving supplies into Yemen, where 17 million people need food assistance.”
- Medium shot: attendees at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Sarah Bel, UNDP Communication Advisor: “The environmental impact on coral reefs, life supporting mangroves and other marine life would be severe and we estimate that fish stocks would take 25 years to recover. So those are the main remarks that we have on the devastating impact this field would have.”
- Medium shot: attendee at the press conference, screen with speakers
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Sarah Bel, UNDP Communication Advisor: “There's a long-term solution because we will need, after removing the oil, to tow and scrap the “Safer” and make sure that we store the oil. So you can see this is such a complex operation. And yes, to my knowledge, this is the very first time that we deal with such a project.”
- Medium shot: attendees and mediator behind panel at the press conference, screen with speakers
- Wide shot: camera in the foreground, attendees at the press conference in the background
- Medium shot: attendees and mediator typing at the press conference
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The appointment on Thursday of Karla Quintana as head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic is a key development after nearly a year and a half of work by the UN Human Rights Office supporting the institution’s launch.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO
The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.
1
1
1
Edited News | IIIM , UNHCR
Syria: ‘Key priority’ is to preserve evidence of crimes – UN investigators
In Syria, new access to evidence of horrific human rights violations means that accountability may be closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved, a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OSE , ICRC , UNHCR
Syria: UN and partners urge action to preserve evidence of prison atrocities, stabilize country
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria five days ago, hundreds of people have rushed to Saydnaya prison, desperate to find loved ones. Disturbing images from the prison and other detention centers have since surfaced, exposing the “unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured for years,” said Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the UN special envoy for Syria, on Friday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNRWA
Gaza: “Sickening normalisation” of suffering, amid attacks on people and aid convoys
Ongoing military operations by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza continue to devastate Palestinian children and families, with mounting casualties and a critical lack of humanitarian aid for the desperate population.
“Local media reporting here that last night, 30 people were killed in this area in strikes” said a senior emergency officer with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Louise Wateridge, speaking to reporters in Geneva from central Gaza.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Rights experts call for end to impunity for Israel’s violations of international law
Four independent human rights experts have jointly called for the international community to sanction Israel’s conduct of hostilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as in the wider Middle East region - including in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. They also called for the restoration of trust in the international justice system through the abandonment of “extreme interpretations” and “double standards” in the application of the universal norms regulating the conduct of war.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR
Syria: needs continue to grow amid highly uncertain situation, say aid teams
The historic power shift in Syria and the still volatile situation two days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have increased humanitarian needs in a country where nearly 17 million people, including millions of internally displaced, already depended on humanitarian aid before the recent events, UN aid teams said on Tuesday.
2
1
3
Edited News , Press Conferences | OSES
Barely 48 hours since opposition forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping Syrians’ create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday called on States to do all in their power to end senseless conflicts and suffering.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
No evacuation order given before Kamal Adwan Hospital strike, says WHO
One of the last partially functional health centres in northern Gaza was reportedly hit again overnight into Friday by several strikes, leaving four health workers among the casualties and the dead, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA
More than 280,000 people have been uprooted in northwest Syria in a matter of days following the sudden and massive offensive into Government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the Security Council as a terrorist group.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called on the Georgian authorities to respect and protect the rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly following several nights of protests that were marred by violence, and dispersed using disproportionate, and in some cases unnecessary, force by the police in the capital, Tbilisi.