UN: Operation to siphon oil out of rusting tanker moored off Yemen begins to ‘avoid Catastrophe’

By SAMY MAGDY
The Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says a salvage team has begun siphoning oil out of the 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 are set to 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 at preventing an environmental catastrophe. The U.N. expects the operation to be completed in less than three weeks.