An operation to recover 1.14 million barrels of oil from a rusting oil tanker in the Red Sea, described by experts as “a ticking time bomb” began on Sunday after a UN-owned super-tanker arrived for the delicate operation.
The FSO Safer has been moored for eight years off the coast of Yemen, and experts say the ship’s ageing and un-maintained hull has created the risk of a catastrophic oil spill.
After years of tense diplomacy between the UN, Yemen's Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised government, the Nautica will soon moor alongside the Safer to begin extracting its oil.
A recovery company tasked with the safe removal of the Safer's cargo has installed equipment on the ship for the operation following an inspection of the hull by divers in late June.
Experts say that if the ship’s hull is breached, a cleanup operation could cost around $20 billion.
The Boskalis recovery firm will conduct the complex task of transferring the oil, which has involved installing inert gas generators onto the vessel, which was built in 1976. The gas will be pumped into oil storage compartments to expel oxygen and reduce the risk of an explosion.
A previous effort to pump the non-flammable gas into the ship ended in 2017 when the generators broke down.
Boskalis says the ship "has decayed to the point where there is a risk it could explode or break apart, which would have disastrous environmental and humanitarian effects on the region".
The UN said this month that the recovery operation would take around two weeks, while Boskalis said the operation could take as little as a week, but could potentially take up to a month.
Lying about 8km from the coast, the Safer is carrying four times as much oil as was spilled in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska.
Despite stringent safety checks, concerns remain about a spill or an explosion.
"The risk is very high," said Mohammed Mudawi, the UN Development Programme project manager for the Safer.
"But we are hoping with the completion of the project that this will be eliminated."
The UN operation to transfer oil from the Safer and tow the ship to a scrap yard is budgeted at $143 million.
The UN says it still needs an additional $22 million to tow the ship to a recycling yard and safely tether the replacement vessel to ensure safe storage of the oil until its eventual destination is decided.
The Houthis, who have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, have demanded guarantees that the value of the Safer's oil would be handed over to pay the salaries of their employees.
In March last year, the Houthis signed a memorandum of understanding with the UN, establishing a framework for co-operation to facilitate the project.
Inspections finally began on May 30, with the arrival of a team of experts from Boskalis who began preparations for the operation.
In June, the UN secured insurance cover for the complex and risky operation, clearing yet another major obstacle.
