THE UNITED NATIONS AND PARTNERS HAVE PREVENTED THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO, CRITICAL WORK REMAINS
Constructed in 1976 as a supertanker and converted a decade later to be a floating storage and offloading facility (FSO) for oil, the Safer is moored about 4.8 nautical miles off the coast of Hodeidah governorate in Yemen. Prior to the UN operation, the vessel held an estimated 1.14 million barrels of light crude oil. Production, offloading and maintenance operations on the Safer were suspended in 2015 because of the war. As a result, the Safer’s structural integrity significantly deteriorated. Without a functioning system to pump inert gas into the Safer’s oil tanks, the vessel was at risk of exploding at any time.
UN-coordinated plan to resolve the threat
In September 2021, United Nations senior management instructed the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, to provide UN system-wide leadership on the FSO Safer and coordinate all efforts to prevent the threat and strengthen contingency plans in the event of a catastrophic oil spill. This followed earlier efforts in the highly politicized environment of the conflict. After discussions with relevant stakeholders, the United Nations produced a plan to prevent a spill by transferring the oil to a safe vessel and installing long-term replacement capacity for the Safer. The draft UN-coordinated plan was strongly supported by United Nations senior management in December 2021.
In 2022 and 2023, the UN engaged closely with the Government of Yemen in Aden, which regularly reiterated support for the initiative, including by pledging $5 million in 2022 to the UN project to address the spill.
The Sana’a-based authorities, who control the area where the vessel is located, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UN on 5 March 2022, establishing a framework for cooperation in which the Sana’a-based authorities committed to facilitating the success of the project.
On 6 March 2022, the UN organized a mission to Hodeidah City and the Ras Isa terminal near where the Safer is moored to discuss the proposal with local authorities, who were supportive of the plan. Technical experts on the mission confirmed the risk of catastrophe at any time.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is responsible for implementing the complex and high-risk project. The operation on the water comprised two phases:
- Contracting a leading global salvage company to inspect the FSO Safer and make it safe for the operation, transfer the oil into a replacement vessel, and ready the vessel to be towed away;
- Procuring and installing a catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM) buoy to which the replacement very large crude carrier will be connected as safe storage capacity; and towing, scrapping and recycling the Safer.
In September 2022, the Government of Yemen in Aden and Sana’a authorities formally supported the long-term replacement solution proposed by the UN (a tanker tethered to a CALM buoy system).
Preparatory work began in late 2022. UNDP assembled a team of world-class technical expertise, including a marine management consultancy firm, maritime legal firm, insurance and ship brokers, and oil spill experts.
In March 2023, UNDP entered into agreement with Euronav to purchase a replacement vessel, which was subsequently modified for the operation. In April 2023, UNDP contracted SMIT Salvage.
Despite a funding gap, the UN was able to carry out the oil transfer operation by borrowing funds internally, including $20 million of bridge financing from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). UNDP also provided $2 million from its reserves to enable the start of the operation.
On 30 May, the salvage vessel Ndeavor reached the Safer site to begin the operation. The crew on the Safer cooperated closely with the salvage team. In Hodeidah, the Safer Technical Committee provided access, security and technical support and maintained a high level of coordination and cooperation with the UN operational team on the ground.
To stabilize the Safer and prepare it for the removal of the oil and eventual towing, SMIT’s work included:
- Thorough structural assessments of the hull, which confirmed that hull thickness levels are sufficient to withstand forces generated during the oil transfer;
- Pumping inert gas into the tanks to significantly reduce the risks of fire or explosion and continuous testing to ensure the atmosphere remained at a safe level;
- Preparation of portable transfer pumps and rigging of hoses and valves and repairs of the Safer’s manifold through which the oil flowed during the operation; and
- Prepositioning of oil spill response equipment.
UNDP, the International Maritime Organization and the UN Environment Programme secured high-level expertise to monitor the work and support Yemeni efforts in the event of an incident. The World Food Programme, UNFPA, UN Department of Safety and Security and UN Mission for the Hudaydah Agreement also provided expertise or operational support on the ground.
The oil pumping began on 25 July and was successfully completed on 11 August 2023.
More than 1.1 million barrels of oil were transferred from the 47-year-old Safer to the replacement vessel Yemen (formerly Nautica).
The SMIT team also washed the Safer’s tanks, assisted to cast the Yemen off from the Safer to the anchorage holding area pending the arrival of a CALM buoy, and took other measures to ensure the Safer’s safety.
The Ndeavor sailed out of Yemeni waters on 28 August, marking the end of SMIT’s work and the conclusion of the emergency phase of the operation.
The oil transfer prevented the worst-case scenario: a catastrophic spill four times greater than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.
The decaying Safer still poses a residual environmental threat. It still holds viscous oil residue mixed with sediment that can only be removed during a final cleaning during phase 2 of the operation.
The catastrophic costs of inaction
- The cost of cleanup alone was estimated at US$20 billion.
- It would have taken 25 years for fish stocks to recover.
- A major oil spill could have closed the nearby ports which are essential to bring food, fuel and lifesaving supplies into Yemen, where 17 million people need food assistance.
- The environmental impact of a major spill on water, reefs and life-supporting mangroves on Yemen’s coast and potentially across the Red Sea would have been severe.
- Vital shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait to the Suez Canal could have been disrupted for an extended period, costing billions of dollars per day, as happened when the Ever Given blocked the Canal in 2021.
- ? Tourism around the Red Sea would have suffered.
Generous support has brought us to this point, work remains
As of mid-January 2024, generous member states, the private sector and the global public had contributed $129 million for the project and pledged more than an additional $4 million.
Other partners have advocated over the years to address the threat or provided in-kind donations.
The remaining work (phase 2 of the operation) comprises installation of the CALM buoy, the Yemen’s connection to it, and towing the Safer for safe recycling.
The UN is counting on further generous support to close the remaining funding gap.
For further information, please contact:
Russell Geekie, Senior Communications Advisor to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, geekie@un.org