The image of a huge leaking oil tanker leaning to one side off a remote coast of Venezuela sparked international concern and calls for a spill to be prevented.
After years of neglect, the FSO Nabarima, a rusty monster full of heavy crude, is in a dangerous state of disrepair.
Although the magnitude of the damage is unknown, if it is not repaired soon it could sink and unleash an environmental disaster, polluting the turquoise blue waters along the Venezuelan coasts and of several neighboring Caribbean nations, say maritime experts and critics. of the government of Venezuela.
To heighten concerns, the government of Nicolas Maduro he has made no public statements about his plans for the vessel.
The rusty and damaged FSO Nabarima oil tanker an environmental threat to the Caribbean.
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However, oil workers opposed to the Chavista regime, such as Eudis Girot, director of the Unitary Federation of Petroleum Workers of Venezuela (FUTPV), have launched a campaign for President Maduro to pay attention to the situation.
And he called on the embattled president to put behind the years of bitter disputes between his government and the oil industry workers union to avoid a possible environmental disaster.
“I invite the President of the Republic to get on a helicopter, to go to Nabarima, to do an inspection himself,” Girot said in a video posted on the internet a few days ago. He also published three photographs of what he claims is the ship’s engine room flooded. “I would like to be wrong, by God,” he said.
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The Nabarima, under the Venezuelan flag, is a 264-meter-long ship that is believed to be filled almost to its maximum capacity with 1.4 million barrels of crude oil, an amount almost five times greater than the amount it spilled. the Exxon Valdez in 1989.
The ship was used as a stationary platform anchored in the Gulf of Paria with the aim of helping the export of Venezuelan oil.
But was idle after the recent slump in energy demand globally due to the coronavirus pandemic and the sanctions imposed by the United States against the Maduro government, which have scared away potential buyers of the heavy crude that Venezuela produces.
The FSO Nabarima ship is rusty and damaged inside and out.
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Critics of the ailing parastatal oil company PDVSA point out that the double-hull vessel – built in 2005 by South Korea’s Samsung for ConocoPhillips – is only an example of corruption and mismanagement of the Chavista government that have bankrupted the country’s oil industry, which at some point brought prosperity to Venezuela.
“That ship would not be in this state were it not for negligence and stupidity,” said Russ Dalle, director of Caracas Capital Markets, a company that closely monitors the Caribbean country’s maritime industry.
An industry executive, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the lack of maintenance apparently damaged valves in the ballast system used to stabilize the ship.
Currently presents a dangerous tilt of more than 5 degrees towards his right side, said the executive. Maritime tracking data indicates that it has also sunk about 14.5 meters, right to the waterline, an indication of excess weight.
Alarm in the Caribbean
A possible spill in the shallow sea that Venezuela shares with Trinidad and Tobago could damage fragile mangroves, as well as marine and bird sanctuaries.
The situation has caused alarm in Trinidad and the nearby Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, said another industry executive, who also insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
To avoid an environmental disaster, PDVSA would have to transfer the crude to another vessel in a dangerous maneuver. But US sanctions that prohibit US agencies from doing business with Venezuela could deter many foreign companies from getting involved in the operation.
The engine room of the oil tanker FSO Nabarima, flooded.
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However, Italian oil company Eni, which operates the Petrosucre joint venture as a minority partner with PDVSA, said in a statement that there is currently no risk of an oil spill. The ship is “stable” and the recent flooding of the ship “has already been addressed and resolved.” Eni added that it is already working with PDVSA to unload oil from the Nabarina.
PDVSA and the Venezuelan communications minister have so far not responded to emails sent by the AP agency requesting their comments.
Ian Ralby, founder of maritime security company IR Consilium, compared the Venezuelan vessel to the FSO Safer, which has been deteriorating for years off the coast of Yemen with more than a million barrels of oil on board.
“This might look like little more than a leaking pipeline in a remote area of Venezuela”Ralby said. “But the consequences could be catastrophic for the entire Caribbean, “he warned.
This is the second recent maritime emergency for Venezuela after a leak at the El Palito refinery last month, which covered a 15-kilometer stretch of pristine beaches in the Caribbean with oil, a few hours away from the capital Caracas.
In his role as union leader, Girot speaks frequently with Petrosucre workers who risk their lives by boarding the Nabarima and reporting what they see. He said he is ready to retract his statements and let Maduro imprison him in case he turns out to be wrong.
The problem is not new, but it is entering a critical phase, he said.
“Nobody paid any attention to this situation,” Girot said in a telephone interview from Barcelona, Venezuela. “ If that oil remains in that ship, we are going to run the risk that at any moment a tragedy and an ecological catastrophe could occur. ”
Por Joshua Goodman y Scott Smith, The Associated Press
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