FSO Safer
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | FSO Safer |
| Namesake | Safer (صافر Ṣāfar), an oilfield in Yemen |
| Owner | Yemen Oil and Gas Corporation |
| Port of registry | Yemen |
| Builder | Hitachi Zosen Corporation, |
| Launched | 1976 |
| Identification | IMO number: 7376472 |
| Status | Awaiting disposal |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | ULCC |
| Tonnage | 406,640 DWT |
| Length | 362 m (1,188 ft) |
| Beam | 70 m (230 ft) |
| Speed | 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h) |
FSO Safer (pronounced "saffer" /ˈsæfər/) is a floating oil storage and offloading vessel that is moored in the Red Sea north of the Yemeni city of Al Hudaydah.
Prior to being emptied, the ship held more than 1.14 million barrels of oil. Its structure has been left exposed to humidity and corrosion with little or no maintenance since Yemen's civil war started in 2015. An impasse exists between Houthi groups and the Saudi-backed government over its ownership and responsibility. Inert gas on the ship that normally inhibits an explosion has dissipated, putting it at risk of exploding and causing an environmental disaster. The ship is currently undergoing a United Nations-led salvage operation which has successfully removed the oil and will place it in much safer long-term storage.