In 2023, a UN-coordinated operation transferred the oil from the 47-year-old Safer to a safe replacement vessel.

FSO SAFER, a decaying supertanker holding 1.1 million barrels of oil had been moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast for several years and threatened to cause a spill resulting in widespread humanitarian and environmental impact.

The UN-appointed salvor, SMIT Salvage, requested Marittima to develop a pollution contingency and response plan and provide procurement recommendations for the operations. The project involved close liaison with UNDP pollution advisers to develop a strategy that was aligned with the national plan and accounted for the unique complexities of the situation:

• • Response tactics tailored to account for the uncertainties associated with the project due to limited site accessibility and information (e.g. the conditions of the oil cargo);
  • Resources and strategy to accommodate the considerable logistical constraints and sensitivities;
  • Availability of a suite of measures in acknowledgement of the high risk and global interest in the operation

The operation proceeded smoothly with no reported spills and was completed in August 2023.