The United Nations: The Safer reservoir will retain a quantity of oil after its rescue operation
English - Thursday 01 June 2023 الساعة 05:06 pm
Aden, NewsYemen, exclusive:
The United Nations stated that the crew of the support ship "Nadivor", after its arrival in Ras Issa off the coast of Hodeidah Governorate, will inspect the dilapidated oil tank "Safer" and secure it in preparation for the transfer of oil to the replacement tanker "Nutica", which is scheduled to arrive at the site from the coast of Djibouti next month.
A UN statement said that the process of transferring more than a million barrels from aboard the floating reservoir anchored off the coast of the Yemeni Red Sea began with the arrival of a ship, describing the rescue operation as difficult, noting that the arrival of the support ship "Nadifor" to Ras Issa, the site of the dilapidated reservoir represents a step decisive move forward in the process
The UN statement indicated that the rescue operation at sea comes after nearly two years of political work and collecting pledges.
Achim Steiner, Administrator at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said: With the marine rescue ship “Nadefor” on site, the project can now begin in earnest, noting that this operation will prevent a massive oil spill disaster at a cost not comparable to what it would require to clean up a spill. this size.
He said that the total cost of the operation, consisting of two phases, is estimated at about $142 million to secure the transfer of oil from Safer to another ship called Nautica, and stated that the need for $14 million has not yet been obtained to complete the current stage of work, in addition to $15 million.
The UN official referred to the possibility of a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe, explaining that the money spent now will prevent a catastrophe that may cost billions in the future, yet we call on the international community and the private sector once again to intensify efforts and support us to bridge the funding gap in the project so that we can finish what we started. ".
The United Nations confirmed, in its statement: Even after we avoid transporting oil - the worst scenario of a million barrels spill - the dilapidated Safer will still retain a good amount of remaining oil and pose a major environmental threat in the Red Sea. But the project remains underfunded as $29 million is still needed, which includes mooring the replacement tanker safely to a mooring buoy and towing the Safer to a salvage yard for recycling.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, David Gresley, said: "We need to get the ship (Nautica) in and get it ready to take the oil to it. We need to separate the old tanker, tow it away for dismantling, and then bring in an oil rig to connect the new ship to the pipeline."
The UN official stressed the need to complete all these steps before being assured that the oil stock has been fully secured and the environment protected.
