Potential Red Sea disaster could throw spotlight on the need for salvors
MARINE salvage could become a hot topic in the shipping industry, and much more widely, if things go badly wrong with a very large tanker now anchored off the coast of the Yemen – and things could easily do just that.
The 1976-built very large crude carrier (VLCC), ironically named FSO Safer, has for many years been moored off the country’s Red Sea coast as a floating storage and offloading (hence, FSO) facility. I understand the vessel’s name is actually pronounced “saffer”, and that she was abandoned in 2015, at the start of Yemen’s civil war.
Since then, the ship, still with about a million barrels of crude oil on board, has reportedly deteriorated badly.
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, has been reported as having said: “We don’t want the Red Sea to become the Black Sea, but that’s what could happen. It’s an ancient vessel, a 1976 supertanker, and therefore is not only old, but unmaintained and likely to sink or explode at any moment.”
If the crude oil from the FSO Safer spills into the sea, the result would be catastrophic in human and environmental terms. The UN estimates the cleaning costs could run into about US$20 billion, and so is trying to stave off a maritime disaster.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has bought a VLCC from major tanker company Euronav. She could be on scene in May. The plan would be transfer the crude from the FSO Safer to the new tanker, in an operation estimated to cost US$130 million; despite contributions from several countries and organisations, there is still a shortfall of US$34 million.
While the UNDP is the lead organisation, it is understood to have been in touch with specialist UN agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the commercial salvage industry to tap their expertise.
And there certainly is a lot of expertise in the salvage industry. Salvors, as these marine salvage companies are called, are experienced in not only saving or recovering vessels, but also in preventing pollution.
As it happens the salvors’ industry body, the International Salvage Union (ISU) has just published its annual pollution prevention survey. Last year, its members stepped up on 186 occasions to help vessels carrying 2.6 million tonnes of potentially polluting cargo and fuel.
ISU president Nicholas Sloane, said: “We are all now so much more aware of, and careful about, the environment. But we all need shipping, and incidents like the 2021 Suez Canal blockage demonstrated that reliance. The shipping and insurance industries recognise their responsibilities and the importance of maintaining their licence to operate, and that the availability of emergency-response services is a critical part of meeting those responsibilities.”
The number of services fell last year, he noted, and added that each year brings significant variations in the quantities of pollutants in each category. But, overall, the amount of pollutants has stayed consistent.
The number of containers is lower than last year, but after bulk cargo, container ships are still the most significant category; ISU members provided services to vessels carrying 50,000 TEU, amounting to some 747,270 tonnes of cargo.
Boxes stuffed with harmful and dangerous goods such as plastic pellets represent one of the biggest threats to the marine environment; there is also the added risk of misdeclaration of contents on board vessels.
ISU makes it clear that not all potential pollutants are at immediate risk of going into the sea. It said in a statement: “Some cases will have had limited danger, but others will have carried a real risk of causing substantial environmental damage. In an era of ‘zero tolerance’ of any pollution, even the smaller cases represent a significant concern.”
Captain Sloane said: “The ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) agenda is so important for shipowners and insurers, and we need to ensure that the capability and willingness of commercial salvors to provide vital services around the world is valued and not eroded.”
On the subject of valuing the work of salvors, it should be noted that the liability insurers – typically the protection and indemnity (P&I) clubs –ultimately foot the bills. The Salvage Committee of the International Group of P&I clubs has drafted new guidelines together with the Joint Marine Claims Committee (JMCC, which represents insurers) to improve collaboration in the handling of shipping casualties. The protocol document “seeks to promote more effective communication between the parties involved that will ensure the prompt deployment of emergency responses services to vessels in distress”.
Amy Dallaway, chair of the JMCC, said: “There is clearly a huge benefit to all parties by having effective early engagement between insurers and shipowners involved in major casualties, particularly where pressing decisions are required. There are many advantages in understanding the concerns of all interested parties, and this collaborative approach will result in clearer lines of communication and will assist in the efficient management of claims.”
Without getting too technical, this all relates to the SCOPIC (Special COmpensation P & I Club) clause that appears in some salvage contracts and rewards salvors for services that protect the environment. The operation of SCOPIC involves special casualty representatives (SCRs) and representatives for hull and cargo interests.
ISU secretary-general James Herbert said: “The purpose of the revised guidelines is to provide more clarity on the role of the SCRs; they re-state that SCRs are independent and appointed to observe and support the operation on behalf of all salved interests. The ISU fully supports the new guidelines and was closely involved in their creation.”
It is in everybody’s interest that there is a viable and strong global salvage industry, so this latest development is encouraging.
As for the FSP Safer, let us hope that the UN puts its plan into action before a catastrophic demonstration of what can go wrong unfolds.
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