UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2022) The United Nations has received enough pledges of financial support from the international community to begin an operation to salvage oil from a supertanker that has long been stranded off the coast of Yemen, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen David Gressly said on Wednesday.
The Safer oil tanker has been abandoned in the Red Sea north of the Yemeni city of Al Hudaydah for more than six years while loaded with 1.1 million barrels of oil and remains in urgent need of repairs.
"We have now received pledges and commitments sufficient to start the FSO Safer salvage operation," Gressly said during a press conference.
The United Nations received pledges of some $78 million from the international community, which will be sufficient to cover the costs of transferring oil from the Safer tanker to another vessel, Gressly said.
However, an additional $38 million will be needed to create long-term storage for the oil, Gressly said. The oil will be able to be sold or transported elsewhere once the political situation in Yemen eases, he added.
The operation will take several months to complete, Gressly said.
