UN says operation to siphon oil out of rusting tanker moored off Yemen begins to ‘avoid catastrophe’
By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press
CAIRO (AP) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says a salvage team has begun siphoning oil out of a decaying oil tanker moored off the coast of Yemen. For years, many organizations have warned that the neglected vessel, known as SOF Safer, may cause a major oil spill or even explode. Guterres said on Tuesday that more than 1 million barrels of oil stored in the Safer tanker will be transferred to another vessel the U.N. purchased as a replacement. The transfer of oil is a “critical stage” in an operation that aims to prevent an environmental catastrophe. The U.N. expects the operation to be completed in less than three weeks.
