IMO has made significant progress with its contingency
planning efforts to prepare for a possible oil spill from the deteriorating
floating storage and offloading unit (FSO) SAFER, which is moored off the coast
of Yemen. The unit has an estimated 150,000 MT of crude oil on board.
Contingency planning is taking place alongside preparations
for a UN-led assessment mission on the FSO SAFER, scheduled to take place in
early 2021. In line with the scope of the mission that was recently agreed, a
UN team will board the FSO for 30 days to assess its state and carry out light
repairs. However, the scope of the mission does not include offloading the oil
currently on board the FSO.
IMO will continue to provide technical input to the UN
interagency process, which is led by the UN Office of the Special Envoy of the
Secretary General for Yemen (OSESGY), with participation from UN OCHA, UNOPS,
IMO and UNEP.
The IMO-led contingency planning efforts, carried out in
collaboration with key stakeholders in the region, aim to improve the
efficiency, effectiveness and management of emergency response operations in
the event of a spill from the FSO SAFER.
Should an oil spill occur, IMO is able to support national Governments
and regional organizations, on the basis of a
formal request for assistance , by providing technical assistance and
backstopping regional efforts in line with the provisions contained in Article
12 of the OPRC Convention.
A summary of the current situation and challenges was
presented to IMO Member States during an online briefing (10 December). IMO
officials presented the work carried out to date as well as remaining gaps, and
highlighted the additional challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the
ongoing conflict in the region. Participants were also briefed on legal aspects,
including possible challenges related to liability and compensation.
The floating storage and offloading unit (FSO) SAFER was
built in 1976 as an ultra-large crude carrier (ULCC) and converted to a FSO in
1986. It has not been maintained or inspected since 2015 and has been out of
class since 2016. An oil spill, which could be caused by a slow release or an
explosion, could have catastrophic environmental and humanitarian impacts on
the region.