Idle Venezuela Oil Tanker Carrying 1.3 Million Barrels Of Oil Severely Leaning

A Venezuelan oil tanker sitting idle in the Gulf of Paria for the last two years appears to be leaning heavily on its side.

According to CBS News, the tanker is carrying 1.3 million barrels of oil — five times the amount of the EXXON Valdez spill — and would devastate already threatened wildlife in the area if it were to spill.

The Nabarima is part of a joint venture between Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and Italy’s Eni SpA. It has been stranded since January of 2019. A spokesperson for Eni told Reuters that they are waiting for a “green light” from the United States government to offload oil to “prevent any sanctions risk.” 

Gary Aboud, corporate secretary of Fisherman and Friends of the Sea, visited the vessel on Friday and estimated the tanker is leaning about 25 degrees and calls for a national emergency.

Aboud posted a video to Facebook of his visit, with the ship seen severely leaning behind him.

“It appears that the Nabarima’s situation is worsening daily,” the post reads.

PDVSA has previously denied the ship poses a threat. Still, in a press release, Maria Gabriela Hernández Del Castillo of the Commission of Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change of the Venezuelan National Assembly said the ship is leaning more than what the group reported in August. 

In her statement, Hernández said, “sanctions are a cheap excuse” and would not affect those unloading crude oil from the Nabarina.

A spokesperson for Eni told CBS News that after “formal assurance” from the U.S. government that they will face no sanctions, the company would begin to unload the oil. 

“Eni is ready to perform activities to ensure the safe offloading of the Nabarima FSO offshore Venezuela, using state-of-the-art solutions,” the spokesperson told the outlet.