Oil from "FSO Safer" supertanker decaying off Yemen's coast finally being pumped onto another ship

Cairo — An international team began siphoning oil out of a decrepit oil tanker off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, the United Nations chief said, a crucial step in a complex salvage operation aiming to prevent a potential environmental disaster. For years, many organizations have warned that the neglected vessel, known as FSO Safer, may cause a major oil spill or even explode.

"The ship-to-ship transfer of oil which has started today is the critical next step in avoiding an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

More than 1.1 million barrels of oil stored in the rusting tanker were being moved to another vessel the U.N. purchased, he said. The oil transfer operation came after months of on-site preparatory work and was scheduled to be completed in less than three weeks, the U.N. said.