UNITED NATIONS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Tuesday initiated a critical operation to siphon 1 million barrels of oil from a decaying supertanker located off the coast of war-torn Yemen, a decisive action that marks a significant milestone in its urgent efforts to prevent a potential environmental catastrophe.
Thanks largely to UN efforts, the supertanker, the FSO Safer, became a symbol of the need for urgent action to avoid massive damage to the marine ecosystem in an area that is home to key global shipping lanes.
"The United Nations has begun an operation to defuse what might be the world's largest ticking time bomb. This is an all-hands-on-deck mission and the culmination of nearly two years of political groundwork, fundraising and project development," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a video message.
UN officials have warned for years about the possibility that the 47-year-old tanker moored in the Red Sea north of the Yemeni city of Hodeidah could crack and explode.
The stranded rusting vessel holds four times the amount of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, enough to make it the fifth largest oil spill from a tanker in history.
The Exxon Valdez, a notorious oil tanker, suffered a devastating accident in 1989 when it ran aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound, spilling approximately 260,000 barrels of crude oil.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned that a massive spill from the Safer would destroy swathes of marine life in the Red Sea.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNDP spokesperson Sarah Bel expressed concern for the fishing communities on Yemen's Red Coast, already living in a crisis-wracked situation, as a spill would like "wipe out 200,000 livelihoods instantly" and "fish stock would take 25 years to recover."
Describing the operation as the first of its kind, she exercised caution during this "emergency phase" but assured reporters that everything had been put in place to "secure success."
The FSO Safer has been moored some 4.8 nautical miles southwest of the Ras Issa peninsula on Yemen's west coast for more than 30 years. In 2015, maintenance of the tanker stopped due to the conflict between a pro-government Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels. As a result, the vessel is now beyond repair.
As per the UNDP, an oil spill in the region would have devastating consequences, leading to the complete closure of all ports. This closure would sever the vital lifeline of food, fuel, and essential supplies to Yemen, a nation where a staggering 80 percent of the population already heavily depends on humanitarian aid for survival.
The United Nations hopes the 143-million-dollar operation, for which it is still 20 million short, will eliminate the risk of an environmental disaster that it estimates would cost 20 billion dollars to clean up.
The UN chief said that shipping all the way to the Suez Canal could be disrupted for weeks.
Praising the project's cross-UN collaboration, the UN chief highlighted the "relentless political work" that the operation entailed "in a country devastated by eight years of war." But he noted that this was just a "milestone in the journey," as the next step involves securing the replacement vessel to a specialized safety buoy.
Guterres has called for a further 20 million dollars to finish the project, including the scrapping of the Safer and removing any remaining environmental threats to the Red Sea.
The transfer of some 1.13 million barrels of crude oil from the FSO Safer to a second tanker known as the Yemen is taking place amid ongoing war between the government and Houthi rebels.
Pumping began at 10:45 a.m. local time and will continue round-the-clock over the next 19 days.
Achim Steiner, head of the UNDP, which is implementing the "unique and unusual salvage operation," hailed the development as a major milestone.
"As we know, sadly Yemen is still a country that finds itself in the midst of conflict... with many consequences for its people," he said, speaking via videoconference to journalists at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Steiner said discussions have also been held with both sides in Yemen regarding the sale of the oil which "is indeed on the horizon." Samples have been sent for laboratory testing and a qualitative assessment is expected in the coming days.
The United Nations negotiated with Yemen's warring parties to bring about agreement and a framework for the oil retrieval to take place.
Pumping is being carried out by the salvage company SMIT, but scores of other experts have been involved, including maritime oil spill experts, maritime lawyers, insurance brokers and shipbrokers.
A chemist is also constantly monitoring the level of gases in the tanks that have been pumped to reduce the risk of explosion. ■
