UN technical vessel arrives at rusting oil tanker off Yemen’s coast as salvage operation begins

CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. says the first technical salvage vessel has arrived near the rusting Safer oil tanker floating off the coast of war-ravaged Yemen. It said Tuesday the arrival of the vessel marks the start of a U.N. operation aiming to avert a major oil spill from the tanker. Experts say the tanker poses a major environmental threat. The U.N. said a team of experts on the Cypriot-flagged Ndeavor is expected to begin pumping inert gas to remove atmospheric oxygen from the oil chambers of the Safer on Wednesday. Transferring the estimated 1.14 million barrels of oil to a different tanker could start in around two weeks. The tanker will eventually be scrapped.