Abandoned tanker could spill 4 times more oil than Exxon Valdez, U.N. official warns - Free oil

[Technetium]

It wasn't really a time bomb until it was abandoned a few years ago. As long as there was a crew there to keep the bilge pumps running and most importantly the active cathodic protection system running it could have sat there for decades. But with those things inoperative for years that ship is fucked. Especially in the high salt Red Sea. The holding tanks, piping, and support structures are all likely paper thin by now. Just unloading like normal might cause it to crack open like an egg.

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This begs the question, why was the tank not emptied before being abandoned? And what is the economic value of the oil currently stored in it, if it has any at all? Could the crude oil still be used to produce various fuels, at least? I don't know shit about oil.

 

[DeadFish]

So how bad of a global shitstorm this will cause if this tanker pops off?

 

[ObeseScreamingBlackMan]

This begs the question, why was the tank not emptied before being abandoned? And what is the economic value of the oil currently stored in it, if it has any at all? Could the crude oil still be used to produce various fuels, at least? I don't know shit about oil.

It’s hard to succ 1.2 million barrels of oil out of a ship quickly and safely when Houthi rebels are tearing up the place.

 

[reptile baht spaniard rid]

It’s hard to succ 1.2 million barrels of oil out of a ship quickly and safely when Houthi rebels are tearing up the place.

So send in the other half of the US Navy under "eart emergency" rules and clearance to make Yemen glow for a thousand years if necessary. Livestream it.

 

[millais]

This begs the question, why was the tank not emptied before being abandoned? And what is the economic value of the oil currently stored in it, if it has any at all? Could the crude oil still be used to produce various fuels, at least? I don't know shit about oil.

Crude is relatively cheap these days. There's probably very little financial incentive to offload it. Would cost more than it's worth. If it got abandoned in a hurry and has been sitting there unclaimed for so long, the ownership of the vessel and oil may also be in dispute by now.

 

[Male Idiot]

What a waste of good oil. Send in Greta with a small spoon to clean it up.

 

[Inflatable Julay]

why don't they just take a boat over there and drive it to shore? like some fuckin haitian pirates or whatever are gonna stop them?

 

[Jump]

why don't they just take a boat over there and drive it to shore? like some fuckin haitian pirates or whatever are gonna stop them?

It's in no condition to move under it's own power. Not even close. Just trying to tow it or push it with tugboats would probably crack it open.
This is from a year ago

Onboard the FSO SAFER: A preview - Atlantic Council

For over a year, I.R. Consilium, a family-owned global consultancy on maritime and resource security, has been monitoring the potentially disastrous situation involving the Safer, a tanker converted into a floating storage and offloading facility (FSO) off the coast of Yemen, and we have been...

www.atlanticcouncil.org

 

[Basement Dwelling Dork]

So how bad of a global shitstorm this will cause if this tanker pops off?

Most likely the U.N getting the shaft and get told to clean it up

Spoiler

or probably declaring war on the pirates by puting a major bounty on them

 

[Purple Pepsi]

The U.N. only let's ONE thing spill on their watch, and it's the cum of their soldiers into various starving children.

 

[muh_moobs]

1. If the UN hasn't been on the boat, how do they know what's wrong with it? If the engine is taking on water, shouldn't the boat be sinking?

2. "Rebels" prevent the UN . . . well, then, if you're so concerned about the environment, kill them and take the boat.

3. Related to the above. It's a fucking boat. Kill the niggers guarding it and tow it to port.

4. This sounds like an ecology problem. How does this become an issue for the "Security Council"? What, are all the rockfish from Africa gonna start genociding each other out at sea trying to scoop up the oil while the world sends a flotilla of blue boats to just sit there and count the bodies of dead niggers instead of doing something to stop people from killing each other?

You can unload ships with hull damage / stability issues but that has to be done by a specialized salvage company and I highly doubt that company would take the risk of unloading the ship while being in danger to get taken hostage by some Yemeni warlord. Given the fact that the UN is as slow as a snail when it comes to decision making it is just a matter of time until the inevitable catastrophy occurs. It will happen, the only question is when.

That's probably part of "the plan".

"Look at this problem, world! We'll talk about it at committee until we can all agree on a course of action."

"What, the boat leaked? Well, if we had just a one world government, the global community could have responded quicker and prevented this ecological disaster. Won't you get on board?"

 

[Technetium]

There doesn't seem to be much news about this, but a more recent Washington Post article does mention that the reason nothing is being done is that the Houthis are indeed trying to sell the oil or use it for some strategic thing. Of course, the Houthis deny this and claim they're not preventing anyone from intervening, and the U.N. is being lazy.

According to Ralby and human rights activists, the Houthis are seeking to sell the oil on the Safer, valued at as much as $40 million at one point, though Ralby and other analysts say the cargo is worth far less now, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the global glut in crude and five years of sitting in corroding tanks. Alternatively, the rebels hope to use the oil as a bargaining tool against the internationally recognized Yemeni government and their primary benefactor, a U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Houthis for more than five years.

[...]

Ameen al-Sharafi, a spokesman for the Houthi-controlled Oil Ministry in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, denied the allegations and blamed the U.N. and the coalition for the delays in assessing the tanker.

“There is no prevention from our side to maintain and treat any damage to the tanker,” al-Sharafi said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/after-beirut-a-leaking-yemeni-oil-tanker-is-renewing-fears-of-another-disastrous-explosion/2020/08/07/a9420812-d8cb-11ea-b9b2-1ea733b97910_story.html

After Beirut, an abandoned Yemeni oil tanker is renewing fears of ano…

archived 8 Aug 2020 10:41:23 UTC

archive.li

 

[CDWLTY]

Western kindness is disgusting. You have undernourished zombies holding public space hostage, as much as china sucks they don't fuck around like this. Hell just issue a letter of marque to someone like blackwater and let them sort it out. People love seeing african pirates get blasted, it's not like they're cute/fluffy/nice/human looking. If you meet them you realize pretty quick they certainly don't feel like a part of humankind.

Yes, yemeni diplomat. you absolutely know what's going on on the ground. It's so irritating watching the U.S get called a nasty imperialist tyrant, getting all the shit and blame of being evil, but none of the actual benefits. Can't just go in a crack skulls, gotta watch rioters burn your taxes down out of twitter rage, but can't even charge them. It's so tiresome.

 

[Irrational Exuberance]

It's entirely possible that the rebels have rigged the ship with explosives or have a similar deterrent to prevent them from simply being overrun. They may be holding out for a ransom of some kind, and the UN investigators may be kidnapped as an additional bargaining chip.

 

[RodgerDodger]

If the UN is saying "Somebody has to do something to prevent this catastrophe!" it means they expect us to pay for it. Not China, not Russia, Not France. They are attempting to present Uncle Sugar with the bill and dump the problem off on us. Every single time.

Or maybe hand the problem off to the Brit's and South Africans. They have some experience in solving this exact type of problem.

 

[Meriasek]

Tanker? Ecological disaster? Paramilitary rebels?
Sounds like a job for Special Unit Foxhound, directed by Hideo Kojima (Hideo Kojima).

 

[Death Grip]

Is there a way that the whole thing could just be blown up/vaporised, without the crude oil ending up everywhere?
Because if that might work, that would be epic.

 

[Meriasek]

Is there a way that the whole thing could just be blown up/vaporised, without the crude oil ending up everywhere?
Because if that might work, that would be epic.

Unlikely, crude oil doesn't really burn fast or clean enough, I think. When oil wells explode it's usually due to gas build-up and pressure, not because the oil actually caught fire. I guess if you blew the thing up with a decently sized nuke it might work. But that would have one or two other unwanted side effects...

Since the thing is basically rusted through already, people really need to find a way to be allowed on the ship to perform the most basic maintenance, and then pump off the oil as fast as possible.
So with 2020 going the way it does, the October event is gonna be a gas explosion and massive contamination of the region by that thing.

 

[RodgerDodger]

Is there a way that the whole thing could just be blown up/vaporised, without the crude oil ending up everywhere?
Because if that might work, that would be epic.

if they can get it off the continental shelf and sink it in deep water it is fine. at depth the oil kind of conceals to tar and sinks to the bottom. That’s what they did in the above linked South African incident. In that case they only needed to tow it 100 miles into open ocean. But this ones deep in the Persian gulf and a long way from deep water. But don’t worry I’m sure the UN will come up with an effective plan of action. Perhaps a strongly worded letter?