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FSO SAFIR – A MORE POSITIVE OUTLOOK?
The main risks associated with the FSO are the possible structural failure of the unit due to the lack of maintenance that could result in a leak from storage tanks due to a fracture forming on the hull or as a large release due to an explosion from the buildup of flammable gases. The situation is particularly complex due to conflict in the region and the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
An oil spill from the FSO SAFER would be a major humanitarian and environmental disaster. A significant spill is likely to heavily impact the north-western coastline of Yemen, including the Yemeni Islands in the Red Sea, and Kamaran Island in particular. There is also a potential for oil to drift and impact neighbouring countries, including Djibouti, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia. The area encompasses vulnerable ecosystems, including mangroves, coral reefs and bird habitats, as well as key infrastructures such as desalination plants and fishing ports.
The UN has coordinated a deal in Yemen to
The FSO has not been inspected or
unload more than 1 million barrels of crude
maintained since 2015 and has been
oil from the rusting FSO Safer tanker and
out of class since 2016, leading to
make safe what officials and experts have
serious concerns about its integrity. It is
described as a ticking environmental time
understood there is currently no oil leaking
bomb.
from the unit, but it is considered that the risk of an oil spill from the FSO SAFER is
The floating storage and offloading unit
increasing as its structure, equipment and
(FSO) SAFER is located approximately
operating systems continue to deteriorate.
4.8 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen. It was originally built as an ultra-large crude carrier (ULCC) in Japan in 1976 and converted to a FSO in 1986. Since 1988, it has been moored at Ras Isa where, prior to the escalation of the conflict in 2015, it had been receiving, storing and exporting crude oil flowing from the Marib oil fields. The FSO SAFER is owned by Yemen’s national oil company, the Safer Exploration & Production Operation Company (SEPOC). Due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen, all production and export operations related to FSO SAFER have been suspended, but an estimated 150,000 MT (nearly 1.1 million barrels) of crude oil remain onboard. This corresponds to four times the amount spilled during the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989, even though circumstances differ greatly.
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The specific impacts of a spill would depend on variety of factors, such as the amount of oil spilled, the oil’s weathering characteristics and the meteorological and oceanic conditions at the time. Various spill scenarios from FSO SAFER have been investigated to enhance the understanding of the potential damage to the environment.
