UN says critical work still needed to finish FSO Safer disposal
FOLLOWING years of preparation, a UN-led initiative averted environmental disaster in the Red Sea off Yemen, emptying FSO Safer hulk storage facility, reports Ventura, California's gCaptain.
SMIT Salvage, a subsidiary of Boskalis, recently completed the crucial oil transfer operation, moving over 1.1 million barrels of oil from the decrepit 47-year-old hulk to a replacement vessel in Yemen.
The success of this operation was made possible through generous contributions from UN member states, private sector entities, and concerned individuals, amounting to over US$121 million.
But the 406,640-dwt hulk remains threat as experts anticipate that the vessel will eventually disintegrate, and while all recoverable oil has been extracted, Safer's tanks still contain a combination of viscous oil residue and sediment that can only be safely removed during a final cleaning phase.
To complete this critical task, the United Nations is seeking an additional $22 million in funding and is relying on further support to bridge the budget gap.
source:SchedNet
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