UN signs deal to help move 1 million barrels of oil off tanker stranded near Yemen | Canada News Media
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UN signs deal to help move 1 million barrels of oil off tanker stranded near Yemen

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The United Nations (UN) announced Thursday it signed an agreement to purchase a very large vessel that can transfer more than 1 million barrels of crude now stranded in a rusting tanker off the coast of war-torn Yemen.

The deal is the first step in an eventual operation to evacuate the cargo and eliminate the threat of massive environmental damage from a possible oil spill or explosion.

Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN Development Program, told a news conference that the deal was signed with Euronav, the world’s largest independent tanker company, to secure the purchase of a large crude carrier for the endeavour.

The double-hulled carrier, found “following an intense search on an extremely stressed global market,” is expected to sail within the next month to Yemen’s Red Sea waters and park alongside the FSO Safer, he said.

“If all things go according to plan,” the ship-to-ship crude transfer would start in early May,” Steiner said.

The Japanese-made Safer was built in the 1970s and sold to the Yemeni government in the 1980s to store up to 3 million barrels of oil pumped from fields in Marib, a province in eastern Yemen.

The impoverished Arab Peninsula country has for years been engulfed in civil war.

Yemen’s conflict started in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north, forcing the government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.

The following year, a Saudi-led coalition entered the war to fight the Houthis and try and restore the internationally recognized government to power.

No annual maintenance in years

No annual maintenance has taken place since 2015 on the ship, which is is 360 metres long with 34 storage tanks. Most crew members, except for 10 people, were pulled off the vessel after the Saudis entered the conflict.

In 2020, internal documents obtained by The Associated Press showed that seawater has entered Safer’s engine compartment, causing damage to pipes and increasing the risk of sinking. Rust has covered parts of the tanker and the inert gas that prevents the tanks from gathering inflammable gases, has leaked out.

Experts said maintenance was no longer possible because the damage to the ship is irreversible, according to an Associated Press report.

The situation has raised fears of a massive oil spill or explosion that could cause an environmental catastrophe. The UN has repeatedly warned that the tanker could release four times more oil than the notorious Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska in 1989.

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CP NewsAlert: Two people confirmed killed when Vancouver Island road washed out

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PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.

The body of the other driver was found Sunday.

More coming.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Sonia Furstenau staying on as B.C. Greens leader in wake of indecisive election

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The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.

The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”

Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.

Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.

He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.

But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.

The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio making a difference off the pitch as well as on it

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Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.

The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.

Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.

Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”

Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.

The winner will be announced in late November.

The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.

The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.

They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.

The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.

“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.

“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”

His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.

“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.

“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”

The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.

“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”

Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.

“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.

The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.

“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”

Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.

“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”

“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”

The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.

Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.

A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.

Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.

Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.



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