IMO is now leading contingency planning efforts to improve preparedness to minimize the environmental effects of a possible spill.

IMO has engaged a technical specialist to develop a contingency plan focused on a variety of risk scenarios that will play a key role in enhancing the effectiveness of emergency response operations in the case of an FSO Safer leak.

The contingency plan will detail the positions and responsibilities of key players and help organize the response. This will also clarify the criteria for equipment and storage sites and define priority areas. The IMO will also provide guidance to the relevant stakeholders. The specialist is currently operating remotely in close coordination with all relevant stakeholders.

IMO offers technical advice to help joint international efforts, led by the wider UN family, to evaluate the current status of the FSO Safer and explore ways to secure 150,000 MT of light crude oil currently on board.

Recent reports of water reaching the engine room suggest that the possibility of an oil spill from FSO Safer is rising.

“While IMO is proactively working on contingency planning, it is hoped that international efforts will succeed in paving the way to assessing the state of the FSO and taking necessary measures, in order to prevent an oil spill from occurring”, said Patricia Charlebois, Deputy Director, Subdivision for Implementation at IMO. 

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