1PAJ Symposium 2024
FSO Safer brief – “Oil Spill
Prevention during a Civil War”
15 February 2024
Nick Quinn; Crisis & Operations
Advisor to the UN for FSO Safer

2Background• First major UN engagement in marine operations since 1956 Suez Crisis• Key driver for this operation was the environmental risk of the Floating Storage & Offloading unit (FSO)
Safer losing containment and spilling all of her embarked 190,000m³ of Marib crude• UN reliance on maritime advice in all aspects of this operation• Engagement of a renowned salvor• Need for fundraising by Donor States – US$148M required for phase 1&2• UNDP undertook project management; UN Resident Coordinator for Yemen was in operationalcommand & control; UN New York oversighting the project/operation; UN procured tanker• UN required a crisis & oil spill response capability for the cargo salvage operation; Yemeni’s required acrisis/oil spill response for the short-long term; a differing & complex set of objectives• Yemen specific;
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Civil war since 2015; conflict started early 2000’s
FSO Safer in Houthi control since 2015
Marib (inland oil reserve) under the Southern (Internationally Recognised Govt) control – 400km pipeline
destroyed in parts during the civil war and coalition bombings
Marib crude is API 44.8 (Group II oil) with a Specific gravity of .80 – very light and valuable
Lack of a National emergency or oil spill plan & organisation to response
Old and inoperative oil spill response equipment
South (IGA) holds the international Convention status; the north under Houthi control does not have any
international status (STCW90, OPRC90 etc)
Reliance on military command and control framework including extensive use of Internal Security ministry3The 3 major vessels involved
FSO Safer;
ULCC built in Japan in 1976
DWT 406,640 tonnes length 362m/beam 70m
Converted to FSO in 1986
Moored in Yemen in 1988
Operated under SEPOC (national oilcompany of Yemen)Single skin tanker with 190,000m³ ofMarib crude embarked as cargo
No Flag; no insurance; no Classification Society

MT Nautica (now MOST Yemen)
VLCC built 2008 – double hulled
Flagged in Liberia
DWT 308,000 tonnes length 333m/beam 58m
SMIT Ndeavor
Offshore support vessel built 2013
DWT 7300 tonnes length 100m/beam 30m

4Vessel comparisons

MT Nautica
FSO Safer

5General areas

AIS sealane & vessel traffic densities in July 2023

2 Main Houthi ports
Port of Salif –wheat &diesel imports

Port ofHodeidah –generalcargoes + fueltank farm +LPG imports

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FSO Safer as seen offshore with tugs
Aden & Manakin in support
FSO Safer as seen from nearest point ofland – with an active land mine field
between point of photo and shoreline

8Command and control
5 main Control Points
established; UN Resident
Coordinator David Gressly incharge of the operationalaspects
Key linkage with Houthiauthorities through the ‘Safer
Committee’; a committee
established with port authority,navy, army, internal security,customs, subject-matter experts
Logistical support to SMIT exDjibouti

9Command elements – set up Control Points

10Adding complexity into this operation
All UN communications to the Safer
Committee had to be in Arabic text
All UN/Houthi meetings (including dailybriefings) were in Arabic
The Safer Committee was comprised ofbetween 15 – 25 Yemeni’s – note diagramon the left
Very strong & dominant Houthi leadership
The Hodeidah Operations Centre had toconduct daily briefings with both the Houthis
and the Internationally Recognised
Government (the ‘South’)11

Crisis Preparedness••••••••

Production of plans
Insurance needs
SMIT pre-deploy requirements
Reorientate risk into crisis risks
Creation of Ops Centres
Build oil spill capability
Build UN personnel capacity
Change thinking from STS tocargo salvage transfer• In country training for SMIT
• For a 30 day operation

Crisis plan hierarchy

12The number of plans …
•••
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High level overall plan
Project Resource Management plan
Mooring Plan with Nautica
Cargo transfer plan
Project transport & logistics plan
Document management plan
Inerting plan
Pump & hose management plan
Tank washing & purging plan
Waste stream management plan
Pumping, ballasting & stripping plan
Project schedule management plan••••••••••••UN Crisis Plan – high level
UN crisis sub-plan
UN Oil spill contingency plan
UN Security planUN crisis communications plan
SMIT Oil spill contingency plan
SMIT Medevac plan
SMIT project emergency responseplan
SMIT project security plan
SMIT HSE plan
Yemen National OSCP
Yemen FSO Safer OSCP13Risk Assessment
Risk
Total loss of containment

Fire Major

Sinking at Mooring

Personnel injury/death

Mine-strike by SMIT flotilla or MT Nautica
Loss of Personnel

Community tensions created by an environmental
crisis

Cause
Catastrophic fire;Complete structural failure; sabotage;

Impacts
1.2MBbls spilled into Red Sea and surrounds;
environmental damages; loss of confidence inUN; impacts for months on Yemen andneighbouring States; economic impacts
suffered globally for shipping traffic
lightning (weather) strike; ignition source flashpoint reached Potential total constructive loss (TCL) of(small fire/explosion/ mechanical ignition)
Safer; project delay; localised damage to burnto waterline/sinking; pollution damage
Structural failure of hull due to changing pressures; collision TCL of Safer; wreck on seabed –on approach to STS mooring; catastrophic fire; flooding ofunsalvageable; pollution damage; personnel
holds through non controllable rupturesloss
Nature of workplace onboard Safer; minestrike; industrial
Injury/death to personnel; impact on offshore
accident; fall into hull; entry into void spaces; fire/explosion crews; need for repatriation ofinjured/deceased;
Sea mines – buoyant and ground mine types
Localised damage limited to hull of tanker –non sinking; injury or loss of life; delay to STS
Transfer of knowledgeable personnel out of project;
inexperienced pers involved; damage todisaffected by project work
reputations; loss of credibility; damage topolitical bow-wave; discontinuity and project
delaysLoss of containment = severe oil spill to sea
Damage to current progress in Yemen; loss ofcredibility; loss of asset (financial loss);hostility towards responders & UN workers

Houthi mine threat(open source)

Free floating sea mines – pictured left & left below
Buoyant (moored) mines – pictured below
Ground mines – no reference available

Land mines along the coast
posed major issues for ashoreline cleanup

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Houthi provided security
UN requirements;

No weapons inside 1
nautical mile exclusion
zone
Houthi to patrol
exclusion zones

Houthi chart describing thelayers of security & defence
around FSO Safer

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The spill risk

(Courtesy of IMO)

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Phase 1 – transfer & salvage• Gain access to the FSO Safer• Purchase & modify VLCC into FSO (MT Nautica)• Commence salvage operation• FSO Safer removed from turret, towed to cleaning yard, scrapped• Management plan installed for MOST Yemen & handed overPhase 2 – Installation of CALM buoy [currently on hold]• Purchase & relocate CALM buoy to Port of Salif• Empty pipeline & risers (3000m³ currently in pipeline to Safer)• Install CALM buoy & Connect MOST Yemen

18Salvage stages• Stage 1▫ Getting onboard systems operating▫ Completing inert gas ‘blanketing’ of cargo and wingtanks▫ Hull and deck survey of Safer• Stage 2▫ Moor Nautica alongside Safer▫ Cargo transfer▫ Tank washing• Stage 3▫ demobilisation

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Oil spill plan hierarchy

Oil Spill Response Resources
Techniques

Location

Monitor andEvaluate• Observation by helicopter, drone or fixed wing, and/or
satellite surveillance in all areas.
• Monitoring effectiveness of offshore response
operations

Next 5 day
Model Run

14 Aug 2023
Last Model Run: 04/08 WCCS 6,900m3, 7 days

Next Satellite
Acquisition

SAR: 18 Aug 23 15:25:07.35
20 Aug 23 02:59:04.00

2Resource
Protection

Protection for all sites identified as sensitive in theTactical Response Manual.

3Dispersant• In and around SAFER safety zone.
• Entrance channels to Ports.
• Aerial spraying offshore in deep waters to prevent
migration and protect shipping lanes.
• Avoiding sensitive areas and seawater intakes

B727 Status

On Standby in Djibouti.
Demobilising, ETD Djibouti Sunday 13/08 @ 07.00L

4Containmentand Recovery• In and around SAFER safety zone.
• To maintain a navigation channel to the Port areas.

5Shoreline
Clean-up

30 sites for manual clean-up. (1-2km each site, 3-6,000
personnel in the first week)121Ongoing oil spill preparedness
Daily trajectory modelling

Pre-emptive booming offshore

Oil Spill Preparedness & Yemen training
Offshore boom deployment by
SMIT tugs
Offshore boat spraying by
SMIT tugs
Onshore shoreline cleanup &protection/deflection booming

Lower photos courtesy of Kevin O’Connell – Spill advisor to UN

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Cargo Salvage Operations
Salvage equipment (incinert gas (IG)generators) setup aft ofbridge for protection
from cargo

SMIT Ndeavor
EDT Leon
FSO Safer

IG Hose riggedfrom the Nautica
cargo manifold

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Cargo distribution onboard Safer
Cargo (Marib crude) onboard FSO
Safer at start of transfer – 190,000m³

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As operation
progresses, multiple
hose to manifold
connections are made– multiple pumpsconnected. Maximum
pump rate achieved
was 900m³/hour
On deck temperatures
peaked at 67º Celsius
Air temperature up to47º Celsius

26Incidents• 4 incidents during the cargo transfer operation▫ Diving, collision, oil spill to deck, reported piracy• Oil Spill – approximately 10 m³ to deck

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The spill investigation

A thorough ‘no blame’ investigation undertaken bythe Houthi Maritime Authority & Safer Committee

Support vessels & Rwabee
EDT Leon – had visited Israel 46 times over thelast 5 years; tugs Aden & Manakin were sourced
from SMIT Lamnalco

Houthi seized vessel “Rwabee” – base forsecurity vessels around Safer29
Views of the FSO Safer fromNdeavor & offshore tug Manakin

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Fauna around FSO Safer;

Cormorants living on the rudder
Eagle rays swimming around Safer

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Crisis management/oil spill management
Key lessons – follow OPRC 90 tenets• Plans – described slide 12• Training – offshore SMIT boom deployment & dispersant
spraying; onshore oil spill field training• Drills & exercises; crisis & medevac drill completed• Expertise – UN sourced subject matter experts• People – gathered for a 30 day operation (actually 70days)• Equipment – initially limited, but received during thecargo transfer

32EndThe view from theHodeidah OperationsCentre